300 Tragedies that might have been prevented if New
York State made better use of Kendra’s Law.

Some killed or injured law enforcement officers. Some were
killed or injured by law enforcement officers. Some killed family friends or
strangers. Almost all were off treatment for mental illness at the time. No
doubt that many of these could have been prevented if the individual was
receiving appropriate treatment, something Kendra’s Law might have helped to
ensure. (Source: Treatment Advocacy Center Preventable Tragedies Database.)

Date: 2/2010

Location: Bronx, Bronx, NY

Summary: On February 21, 2010, Satnam Singh, 32, was killed by
two police who caught him bashing his mother Kaur Balbir, 61, in the head with a frying pan. Singh refused to drop the pan.
"Go away! Go away!" Singh screamed at the cops. Singh, sources said,
was bipolar, pummeling his mother with a flat pan and Officer Brian McCarthy
and an unidentified sergeant fired multiple shots at Singh who died at the
scene. Balbir was taken to Lincoln Hospital, where she was in critical
condition with a cracked skull, a fractured left shin and a busted left arm.
Source: NY Daily News, 2/22/10

Date: 5/2010

Location: Manhattan, New York, NY

Summary: On May 11, 2010, 33-year-old Devi Silvia threw her
19-month-old child into the Hudson River before jumping in herself. The girl
was hospitalized in critical but stable condition. Silvia was charged with
attempted murder, assault, reckless endangerment and endangering the welfare of
a child. Silvia entered into an insanity plea deal in December with
prosecutors. The
judge told Silvia she must continue treatment, stay on her medication and
provide status reports to the court. Source: Associated Press, 5/12/10; WABC-TV NY, 6/21/10;
New York Post, 6/22/10; DNA Info, 11/21/11, 2/10/12

Date: 7/2010

Location: Poestenkill, Rensselaer, NY

Summary: On July 13, 2010, 70-year-old Robert Pryor Sr. called his
daughter, 49-year-old Laurie Fisher, and his granddaughter’s boyfriend,
24-year-old Anthony Delgado, home from a trip to a local grocery store and then
shot them both in the chest as they came through the front door. Pryor then turned
the revolver on himselfAuthorities believe Pryor may have battled mental illness. Following the shootings, Delgado
was in critical condition and Fisher was in serious condition at Albany Medical
Center Hospital. Source: TimesUnion.Com, 7/14/10; cbs6albany.com, 7/14/10

Date: 7/2010

Location: Manhattan, New York C, NY

Summary: On July 19, 2010, 33-year-old Julian Kurita fatally
stabbed his father,
70-year-old Fumitaka “Frank” Kurita in the neck in the family's apartment and
then slashed his own wrist, police said. Police say he appeared to be
mentally disturbed,
and neighbors were at a loss to describe what could have sparked a confrontation
between father and son. Julian Kurita left college after a bout with mental
illness. She said she believed he had struggled with schizophrenia since his
early 20s. He
faced murder and weapons charges. Subsequent History: On May 21, 2012, the
30-year-old Kurita was convicted of murder. Source: DNAinfo.com, 7/19/10;
NYDailyNews.com, 7/20/10, 5/2/12, 5/21/12

Date: 7/2010

Location: Buffalo, Erie, NY

Summary: On July 31, 2010, 26-year-old Keith John, an inmate at
the Erie County Holding Center, committed suicide. Family members said John was
diagnosed with Paranoid Schizophrenia. On July 28, 2010, John was arrested for violating a
protective order against his girlfriend. Source: WIVB, 8/02/10; WKBW.com,
8/2/10

Date: 11/2010

Location: Long Island, Queens, NY

Summary: On November 20, 2010, 48-year-old Thomas Scimone, was armed
with a shotgun and threatened to kill firefighters was shot by police as he ran from his burning home.
He was in critical condition following the incident. A relative said she believed
Scimone was not taking his medication for bipolar disorder. The incident began when Scimone
set a fire in his living room. Police said he then threatened to gun down
responding firefighters. He jumped out of a window and ran through the
neighborhood with his shotgun. Police gave chase. He didn’t respond to their
commands to drop his weapon, rather turned and pointed the shotgun at police
who opened fire. Scimone, died at Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center.
Source: NY Daily News, 11/21/10; NBCNewYork.com, 11/21/10, 11/26/10

Date: 9/2010

Location: Greece, Monroe, NY

Summary: On September 29, 2010, 23-year-old Kurt Neusatz fatally
stabbed his mother,
53-year-old Monica Neusatz in their home. His family reported he had been
treated for schizophrenia since the age of 17. Source: 13WHAM.com, 9/30/10;
DemocratandChronicle.com, 12/1/10; Associated Press, 1/4/11; GreecePost.com,
1/4/11

Date: 5/2011

Location: Syracuse, Onondaga, NY

Summary: On May 5, 2011, 55-year-old Benjamin Campione was
fatally shot by police near the Regional Transportation Center. According to police, when
Campione was confronted by Officers, he pulled a pellet gun that looked exactly
like a Smith & Wesson revolver from his waistband and pointed it at Officers prompting
them to open fire. Campione’s two cousins said he suffered from mental
illness and was often homeless, wandering the streets of Syracuse. Campione’s brother said he’d been
to police three times in the past year, alerting them that his younger brother
wasn’t taking his medication and was slipping deeper into paranoid
schizophrenia. According to the brother, Campione had a history of stopping
his medication and acting bizarrely. Source: CYNcentral.com, 5/5/11, 5/8/11; The
Post-Standard, 5/7/11

Date: 2/2011

Location: Syracuse, Onondago, NY

Summary: On February 1, 2011, 19-year-old Ravaun Mitchell was
shot by Syracuse policeafter he refused to drop a knife. On June 29, 2011, a judge
ruled that Mitchell was still mentally ill and dangerous. The judge ordered Mitchell held in
the secure custody of state mental health officials for the next six months
until another evaluation can be conducted. Mitchell’s defense attorney said the
February 1 incident was the onset of mental health problems for his client and
that Mitchell had responded well while on anti-psychotic medication following
the incident. Source: 9WSYR.com, 2/24/11; The Post-Standard, 6/29/11

Date: 8/2009

Location: Schenectady, Schenectady, NY

Summary: On August 1, 2009, 25-year-old James Tomlin, diagnosed
with schizophrenia, was fatally shot by a Schenectady police officer. When officers caught up with
him, they tried to get him to drop the knife. When Tomlin lunged at Officer Ed
Ritz, Ritz shot him. Tomlin's mother told the DA that her son, diagnosed
with schizophrenia, was not on his medication at the time of the incident, according to the report. Source:
CapitalRegion.ynn.com, 8/4/09; Times Union, 7/7/11

Date: 12/2009

Location: Bronx, Bronx, NY

Summary: On December 17, 2009 30-year-old Vladimir Makarov, suffering
from depression and paranoia, went to the roof of his grandmother's 24-story
building and leapt to his death.Makarov’s suicide occurred only days after he was
released from Montefiore Medical Center. Makarov checked into Montefiore on October 29, 2009,
following a long hospitalization in Westchester County and prior suicide
attempts. He told doctors he was hearing voices commanding him to jump off a
building. When Makarov's family begged his doctors to let him spend
Thanksgiving at home, they refused, according to his mother. She was surprised
two weeks later when Makarov asked to leave and was discharged on December 9.
Subsequent History: On July 8, 2011, Makarov’s mother sued Montefiore Medical
Center for letting him leave the hospital's psychiatric unit despite signs he
was suicidal. According to the suit, five days before his discharge, Makarov
told doctors, "I lack the will to live. I feel nothing." Then he
stopped taking his medication. Source: New York Daily News, 7/19/11

Date: 8/2011

Location: New York, New York, NY

Summary: On August 10, 2011, 23-year-old Jorge Ruiz threatened
to jump off the 70th-story ledge of the 30 Rockefeller Plaza. Ruiz suffers from
schizophrenia
Source: New York Daily News, 8/11/11

Date: 12/2011

Location: Spring Valley, Rockland, NY

Summary: On December 14, 2011, 48-year-old Herve Gilles was
fatally shot after he attacked Spring Valley Police Officer John Roper and took
away Roper’s nightstick. Roper responded to the scene where Gilles was throwing rocks at a bar.
It was the second time that day that Roper had been called to the bar to deal
with Gilles, who had been at the bar screaming unintelligibly about an hour
earlier. Gilles’ friends said he was a chronically mentally ill man who
could get out of control when drunk or off his medications. Prior History: Gilles had been
arrested for criminal offenses 33 times since 1990, including eight felonies,
four of which were violent. However, as the D.A. noted in the report, when
Gilles wasn't drunk, off his meds, or high on marijuana, he was a great guy who
did volunteer work with his church. Source: LoHud.com, 12/15/11; Village
Voice, 5/8/12

Date: 4/2009

Location: Manhattan, New York, NY

Summary: On April 27, 2009, Ex-Nets star Jayson Williams became
'suicidal' at Manhattan hotel and was tasered by NYPD police.Williams, 41, was diagnosed
with bipolar disorder
in the runup to his 2004 trial for fatally shooting his chauffeur. Source:
New York Daily News, 4/29/09

Date: 4/2009

Location: Binghamton, Broome, NY

Summary: On April 3, 2009, Jiverly Wong barricaded the back
door of a community center with his car and then opened fire on a room full of
immigrants taking a citizenship class, killing 13 people before committing
suicide, officials
said. On the day of the killings, Wong mailed a letter to a Binghamton TV
station, along with his driver's license, gun permit, and photos of him posing
with pistols. The letter unleashes a slew of bizarre, paranoid accusations against police officers whom
Wong, 41, believed were persecuting him, repeatedly saying breaking into his
room, stealing from him, causing him to lose his job and trying to stage a car
accident with him. The missive, whose claims are unsupported by any publicly
known facts, suggests Wong was deranged. "Put these actions and the theme
of the letter all together, and it could point to major mental illness, quite
possibly paranoid schizophrenia." Wong's sister told NBC's
"Today" show that she could "see that he was very depressed from
losing his job, and he was very frustrated with his English-speaking
skills." Source: KDA2, 4/3/09; New York Post, 4/6/09

Date: 10/2002

Location: Queens Village, Queens, NY

Summary:Robert Jeanlord, 25, suffocated his mother Marie
Jeanlord, 52, on
October 28, 2002, before stabbing himself in the chest, because he thought
she was poisoning him, authorities said. Police found Robert on the porch waiting for
officers to arrive and his mother’s body in the bathroom of her Queens Village
home. Police said Robert Jeanlord, who was undergoing psychiatric evaluation
at Mary Immaculate Hospital last night, suffers from schizophrenia. He apparently stabbed himself
twice with a kitchen knife. Source: Newsday, October 29, 2002

Date: 7/2011

Location: Utica, Oneida, NY

Summary: On July 19, 2011, 30-year-old David. L. Trebilcock
fatally stabbed 6-year-old Lauren Belius, while her twin sister Erica watched. On February 14,
2012, a judge found Trebilcock not criminally responsible for fatally
stabbing Lauren due to mental disease or defect. During the trial, a forensic psychiatrist for
the defense testified that Trebilcock suffered from paranoid schizophrenia with a poor prognosis. Source:
OneidaDispatch.com, 7/21/11; New York, Observer-Dispatch, 2/14/12

Date: 7/2002

Location: Troy, Rensselaer, NY

Summary: Ray Valigorsky was arrested July 19, 2002 on an
open-container violation and sent to Rensselaer County Jail after police found
him passed out on a lawn in a public area in Troy, NY. Valigorsky was a
paranoid schizophrenic who fought a lifelong battle with alcohol and had left
his wife and children to live on the streets, refusing their efforts to help
him. Sheriff's Department officials said that, after his arrest, Valigorsky was
given Librium to ease alcohol withdrawal symptoms and was monitored by
corrections officers every 15 minutes. But he was found unconscious in his
cell, with no pulse, and was taken to Samaritan Hospital for resuscitation,
where he later died. Former jail doctor Morteza Naghibi later told state
investigators he'd given Valigorsky a muscle relaxant instead of Librium
because an article he read in a medical journal recommended it, according to
documents. Naghibi also said he'd never "had the chance" to see
Valigorsky. Valigorsky's children filed a $72 million federal wrongful death
lawsuit, blaming Naghibi and prison nurses for directly causing Valigorsky's
death and criticizing the County Executive, the Sheriff, and other jail workers
for failing to monitor the medical staff. The lawsuit was based on a state
Commission of Corrections' report that said the homeless alcoholic was
subjected to an illegal medical experiment -- and his death could have been
prevented. Prior History: Valigorsky had 89 prior arrests in the city of Troy;
82 were for open container violations or failure to pay fines. Source: Albany
Times Union, November 3, 2002 Times Union (Albany, NY) July 18, 2003 The Times
Union, April 3, 2004

Date: 9/2002

Location: Cicero, Onondaga, NY

Summary:John Victor Figueroa, 18, killed himself on September 10, 2002 by stepping
in front of a truck on Interstate 481 near Syracuse, NY. Figueroa had been
diagnosed with schizophrenia four months earlier after a suicide attempt and had been
in and out of the hospital for two months prior to his death. His mother said
his medication wasn't helping him, he became increasingly paranoid and began
talking about suicide every day. On the day he died, he was scheduled to see a
psychologist at Hutchings Psychiatric Center, an appointment he had waited two
weeks to get. Source: The Post-Standard (Syracuse, NY), February 16, 2003

Date: 7/2005

Location: Queens Village, Queens, NY

Summary:Billy Audobon, a 28-year-old man with a history of
mental illness and substance abuse, was shot in the arm by a police officer on July 3, 2005 after the man's
family called 911 saying he was acting erratically. According to his family, Audubon,
who has bipolar disorder, called them shortly before the confrontation to say he had broken
into his father's bedroom in the Audubon's Queens Village, NY apartment and
taken a handgun. He then threatened to kill himself. When police arrived,
Audubon was holding the gun at his side. The officers yelled at him to drop it,
and when Audubon didn't respond, one of them fired a single shot, striking him
in the right arm and forcing him to lose his grip on the gun. Source: Stamford
Advocate, July 4, 2005

Date: 6/2012

Location: Rochester, Monroe, NY

Summary: On June 21, 2012, Rochester Police officers fatally
shot Israel Andino
outside his home after he fired a shotgun at them. Andino's stepfather said he
suffered from bipolar disorder and was off his medication. Source: WHEC, 6/21/12

Date: 3/2012

Location: Jamaica, Queens, NY

Summary:On March 15, 2012, 30-year-old Shereese Francis died
after a confrontation with police. The incident began when Francis’ family called for
assistance to get her to the hospital. Francis, who wasn't taking the
medication prescribed for her schizophrenia, had become emotionally distraught. Source: Gothamist.com, 4/3/12;
Village Voice, 6/26/12

Date: 7/2002

Location: Buffalo, Erie, NY

Summary: Michael T. Bennett, a 28-year-old man with
schizophrenia, died in the Erie County Holding Center on July 5, 2002 after a
struggle involving at least six sheriff's deputies who were trying to take him
from the jail to Erie County Medical Center. Medical experts for the state determined Bennett
died from traumatic asphyxia, contradicting the county medical examiner's
finding of cardiac arrhythmia associated with coronary artery disease. A grand
jury cleared several jail deputies of criminal wrongdoing, although a state
commission said Bennett's death could have been prevented if he had received
proper emergency mental health care at the holding center. Bennett's mother, Reola Bennett,
said she had called police to report that her son was acting strangely and that
she feared he might crash his car In August 2008, Erie County agreed to pay
$1 million to settle a wrongful-death lawsuit. Source: Newsday, 1/24/04; Buffalo News,
1/25/04, 8/15/08; The Associated Press, 2/1/04

Date: 2/2004

Location: Southampton, Suffolk, NY

Summary: On February 4, 2004, 35-year-old David Glowczenski's
parents dialed 911 for help in subduing their son. Four police officers from
the Southampton, NY police department arrived and found him screaming and
wailing incomprehensively. Within moments, all five were in a wrestling match.
It took more than two minutes for the officers, using Mace and a stun gun, to
get Glowczenski on his stomach with his hands cuffed behind his back. He continued
to kick and scream, but abruptly stopped. The officers told investigators that
when they turned Glowczenski over on his back, they noticed he was unconscious
and not breathing. Less than an hour later, he was pronounced dead at
Southampton Hospital. Glowczenski's family said he was treated with unnecessary
force. Det. Lt. Jack Fitzpatrick of the Suffolk police homicide unit said the
officers acted properly, and that Glowczenski, who was schizophrenic, had taken
himself off his medication a week earlier. The incident began when Glowczenski
overheard his mother and two brothers talking about their plans to hospitalize
him. Subsequent History: On September 20, 2004, Glowczenski's family filed a
lawsuit in Federal District Court against the Village of Southampton, its
Police Department and Suffolk County. The family also sued Taser International
Inc. for $1 billion. The complaint said that Glowczenski was beaten, sprayed
with Chemical Mace and shocked nine times with a Taser by the four police
officers. The Suffolk County medical examiner's office termed the death
natural, and due to "acute exhaustive mania due to schizophrenia."
Glowczenski's family later hired an independent pathologist to review reports
from two separate autopsies and other materials about his death.The
investigator found that Glowczenski sustained injuries from excessive force and
did not die from natural causes, the family said. In May 2005, the Justice
Department opened it's own criminal investigation Prior History: The police had
responded to calls about Glowczenski's behavior over 40 times in the past five
years, according to Suffolk County police. His sister took out a restraining
order against him in 2000 and 2001. Glowczenski had been institutionalized
twice prior to his death. Source: Newsday (New York), April 11, 2004; New York
Times, September 21, 2004; Daily News, September 21, 2004; Daily News, April
21, 2005; Long Island Newsday, June 7, 2005

Date: 7/2003

Location: Freeport, Nassau, NY

Summary: Michelle Sambriski, 34, and her 2-year-old daughter,
Gina, were found dead on July 23, 2003 in Sambriski's cousin's Freeport, NY
home, where they had been living for the past four months. Sambriski's cousin
found Gina's body lying face down in the bathtub, and officers searching the home
later found Sambriski hanging in the garage, police said. Sambriski left behind
a note that provided detectives with enough information to conclude that she
had drowned her daughter and then killed herself. The child's father, Brian
Ramirez, had reported Sambriski to Nassau County child protective services two
months earlier when he learned that she had been evicted from her apartment and
had gone off medication for her bipolar disorder. A subsequent investigation
failed to show any incidents of abuse or neglect and was closed weeks later. In
2002, Sambriski and Ramirez were due in family court to discuss visitation, the
Ramirez family said, but Sambriski never showed up. Ramirez had planned to go
to Nassau Family Court on July 29, 2003, to again petition for visitation.
Ramizer has filed a lawsuit against Nassau County, claiming Child Protective
Services failed to heed his warnings about the mother's instability.
Susbsequent History: An April 2004 report on Gina Sambriski's death by the
state Office of Children and Family Services criticized Nassau's Department of
Social Services for closing the case prematurely - without confirming
Sambriski's psychological history, as the girl's father had detailed. Other
mistakes included the worker's failure to ask Sambriski to release her medical
records to see if she was seeking mental health treatment. The abuse
investigator also never interviewed relatives who would have been familiar with
her emotional problems, even though Ramirez provided a list. Had he contacted Sambriski's
mother, he might also have found out Sambriski had previously attempted
suicide, county police records show. The investigator also never pursued why
she recently had been evicted or even how she was supporting herself and her
daughter. Source: Newsday (New York), July 25, 2003 Newsday, September 7, 2003
Newsday, August 23, 2004

Date: 1/2004

Location: New York, New York, NY

Summary: Spalding Gray, the masterful monologist of "Swimming
to Cambodia", who turned his darkest fears about life and death into
riveting one-man theater pieces that defined the genre, was confirmed dead on
March 8, 2004 when a body found in the East River in New York City was
identified as his. Gray, 62, was reported missing by his wife, Kathleen Russo,
on January 11, 2004 after he missed a meeting with a friend and a scheduled
flight to Aspen for a ski trip. It was speculated then that Gray had jumped
from the Staten Island ferry, reportedly the last place he was seen alive. Gray
had been severely depressed since a near-fatal car accident in Ireland in 2001
that had left him with a number of health problems, including paralysis in one
foot. After he returned to the U.S. he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and
placed on medication. Prior History: Gray attempted suicide a number of times.
In 2002 he nearly jumped off a bridge in Long Island. He later spent a month in
a Connecticut psychiatric hospital. In September 2003, he phoned his wife to
say he wanted to jump off the Staten Island ferry, but police were alerted and
removed him before he could carry out his plan. Source: Los Angeles Times,
March 9, 2004

Date: 11/2004

Location: Nyack, Rockland, NY

Summary: A 36-year-old woman jumped to her death from the Tappan
Zee Bridge in Nyack, NY on November 22, 2004 after telling her father she was
going to return movies at a video store. Stephanie White initially survived the
200-foot drop into the Hudson River but was pronounced dead soon after Thruway
Authority employees pulled her from the water a short time later, state police
said. No suicide note was left behind, but White's mother said she was battling
bipolar disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder, and that her condition had
worsened in recent weeks. White's parents had taken her to the doctor days
earlier and were looking into an outpatient psychiatric program for her.
Source: The Journal News, November 23, 2004

Date: 2/2006

Location: Bronx, Bronx, NY

Summary: Michael Harris, 24, attacked his 18-month-old nephew
Priest Jefferson and the baby's parents after beating his own mother with a
hammer inside their apartment on February 13, 2006. Cops responding to numerous
911 calls from neighbors found the little boy bloodied and lying on the living
room floor as Harris held the boy's mother, Leasia Bolden, 20, in a choke hold
and stabbed her on a nearby bed, sources said. After ordering him to drop the
weapon, an officer fired one round at Harris, who stabbed his sister again
before lunging at the cop, police said. Harris was shot once more and
pronounced dead at the scene, sources said. Family members and sources said
Harris was bipolar and taken out of an institution recently by his mother,
49-year-old Charlene Harris, a deeply religious woman and tenant association
president. "He was supposed to be taking his pills. He just went
berserk," said Carolyn Harris, his aunt. Police sources also said Harris
was angry that his mother wouldn't cook him dinner last night. Harris had a
2005 arrest for drug charges and he had to be forcibly removed from the
family's home in 2004, a source said. Source: New York Daily News, February
14, 2006

Date: 11/2006

Location: Manorville, Suffolk, NY

Summary: On November 18, 2006, Carolyn Buonnano was arrested after
fatally stabbing her husband, Raymond, 43, three times on the neck before
slitting her own throat in a botched suicide attempt. Buonnano was charged with
second-degree murder. Subsequent History: On February 11, 2008, Carolyn
Buonnano, who stabbed her husband to death in an apparently unprovoked attack
in their home entered an insanity plea. In a deal with prosecutors, Buonnano,
39, entered a plea of not responsible by reason of mental disease in Suffolk
County Court. Judge James Hudson ordered Buonnano to undergo treatment at a
psychiatric hospital. Her attorney, Eric W. Naiburg of Central Islip, said a
forensic psychologist testified that Buonnano was psychotic before and after
the event. The couple had a good marriage that was interrupted by her mental
disease, Naiburg said. "She was a paranoid schizophrenic and she believed
he was trying to do her wrong," Naiburg said. Assistant District Attorney
Nancy Clifford said Buonnano was "unable to appreciate the nature of what
she did." Source: Newsday, 2/12/08

Date: 2/2008

Location: New Cassel, Nassau, NY

Summary: On February 24, 2008, Leatrice Brewer, described as
emotionally disturbed and afraid of losing custody of her children called the
police and led them into a blood-spattered bedroom where her young daughter and
two small sons lay slain on a bed, investigators said. Brewer, 27, who lived
with the children in an apartment in the Nassau County hamlet of New Cassel,
was taken to a hospital for physical and mental examinations. Later that
evening, she was charged with the murder of all three children. Neither the
police nor the county medical examiner said what caused the death of the
children, who were identified as Jewell Ward, 6; Michael Demesyeux, 5; and
Innocent Demesyeux, 18 months old. But investigators said one appeared to have
been drowned, while the others had been slashed to death. Prior History: Nassau
authorities declined to discuss any motives behind the killings. But relatives
and acquaintances described Ms. Brewer as emotionally unstable. The two fathers
of the children said they had tried through the courts to gain custody. Ricky
Ward, Jewell’s father, said he had been trying in Family Court for a year. In
the 12 years that he had known her, Mr. Ward said Ms. Brewer had tried to kill
herself a number of times. The Nassau police said they were investigating a
report that she had jumped out a window of her apartment on the day of the
killings. “He problem was her mind state,” Mr. Ward said. “She wasn’t stable
and wasn’t able to communicate. She didn’t want anyone to have her kids. It’s a
tragedy that my daughter’s gone.” Innocent Demesyeux, the father of Ms.
Brewer’s two sons, said that he and Ms. Brewer had been battling in court for
18 months over visitation rights and custody of the boys, and that she feared
she might soon lose custody. He said that he and Ms. Brewer had a date in
Nassau County Family Court on February 25, and that he had hoped to win the
case. He said Ms. Brewer had missed court dates recently and had refused to
take drug tests. He said that he had recently been in contact with a county
child protective services agency and that a representative was to have visited
Ms. Brewer’s apartment on February 22. It was unclear if that visit took place.
Some neighbors said Ms. Brewer had behaved bizarrely. “I used to see her
walking down the street during the day in her pajamas,” said Lisa Jones, who
said she was a distant relative of Ms. Brewer. Asked if Ms. Brewer had seemed
mentally unstable, Ms. Jones said, “Absolutely.” The Rev. Elijah Crawford,
pastor of the Healing Power Church, spoke on behalf of the family at the Westbury
home of a relative of Ms. Brewer’s, where family members had gathered. He said
he had been told that Ms. Brewer had snapped because money she had expected
from a social services agency — money she needed for the children —
had failed to arrive. She didn’t get it, and snapped out,” the pastor said. He
later said of family members: “They don’t know what happened. All they know is
that she snapped. They said she had great love for her children. It’s just
something that happened all of a sudden.” Source: NY Times, 2/25/08

Date: 2/2008

Location: Queensbury, Warren, NY

Summary: On February 26, 2008, Stanley W. Chrostowski, 50, died
after being struck by a tractor trailer. Investigators said he was driving
southbound in the northbound lanes of the Northway when his car hit the truck
head-on. The 2003 Ford Mustang he was driving broke in two pieces from the
force of the high-speed, head-on collision. Officials at the scene said the
crash happened at about 4:20 a.m., when Chrostowski struck a Stewart's truck
south of Exit 18. The truck, a refrigerated box truck owned by Stewarts Shops,
burst into flames, and the driver escaped with little more than a bump on his
head, said West Glens Falls Fire Chief Michael Gordon. Gordon called it a
"miracle" he was not seriously hurt. He was treated at Glens Falls
Hospital and released. He was identified as Kevin Palmatier of Lake Luzerne.
Prior History: Chrostowski had an extensive history of treatment for mental
illness, and investigators were looking into whether he intentionally drove in
the wrong lane in an effort to commit suicide. Two neighbors of Chrostowski who
said he had recently stopped taking his medication for mental illness said they
believed he committed suicide. One said he had made a comment Monday that she
would have a "new neighbor soon." Source: Glenn Falls Post Star,
2/26/08

Date: 8/2002

Location: New York, New York, NY

Summary: On August 6, 2002, Jason-Eric Wilson, 16, killed himself,
swallowing every pill he could find in his family's Harlem shelter hotel room,
including his own psychotropic medication. Wilson suffered from depression,
anxiety and paranoid schizophrenia. His family was evicted from their Brooklyn
home last year and his mental state grew worse since that time. In the year
prior to his death, Wilson was hospitalized twice for mental illness. But in
the last two weeks, Jason's troubles were compounded as his family turned to
the city for shelter. With his father and his 10-year-old sister, Lani, Jason
was bounced between temporary shelter rooms and the crammed Emergency
Assistance Unit in the Bronx, where he had to sleep on the floor. The Wilsons
went to the Emergency Assistance Unit to seek shelter on July 25, and there a
city nurse noted on the screening form that Jason was suffering from paranoid
schizophrenia. Attached were several letters from a Payne Whitney Clinic
psychiatrist who had been treating Jason. The most recent letter, dated July
19, warned that Jason's emotional health was deteriorating because of
"environmental instability, including threats of homelessness and
poverty." Source: The New York Times, August 8, 2002

Date: 4/2000

Location: Queens, Queens, NY

Summary: James Murphy was shot and killed by police on April 22,
2000 in Queens after assaulting his mother and slitting his own wrists.
Neighbors called 911 after Murphy's mother, Dorothy, 70, fled to a nearby house
to take shelter after a violent fight with her son inside their home. After
Murphy's mother escaped, Murphy went searching for her and then stood in the middle
of their street, screaming. Murphy ran to confront officers who had pulled up
in a patrol car. He pointed his gun at them and refused to drop it when
ordered. He was then shot several times by police officers. Police said he had
a history of mental illness and was admitted to an undisclosed hospital for
psychiatric evaluation April 5 after threatening his mother. Source: Daily
News (New York), April 23, 2000, p. 13

RecordID: 860

Date: 1/2000

Location: , , NY

Summary: Alan Zelencic, 28, was shot and killed by police after he
lunged at them with a 15-inch knife. He had just slashed his mother with a
knife and the police were trying to apprehend him when the shots were fired.
His mother was treated and released. Zelencic didn't have a criminal history, but
he did have a history of mental illness for which he had been treated at the
Long Island Jewish Medical Center in 1991. Police officials said Officers
Caruso and Dudley did not appear to have violated department guidelines that
govern situations in which officers confront emotionally disturbed people.
Source: The New York Times, January 18, 2000, p. 3

Date: 5/2006

Location: Brooklyn, King, NY

Summary: Valerie Burgher, 34, a New York-based black journalist
and writer who battled bipolar disorder, was hit by a train in a Brooklyn
subway station on May 31, 2006 and died hours later of her injuries, the family
said. After an autopsy, the New York City Medical Examiner’s office ruled the
death a suicide. Source: Maynard Institute, June 4, 2006

Date: 10/2003

Location: New York, New York, NY

Summary: Alberto Menegro, 42, was charged with second-degree
murder and first-degree assault in a fatal attack on his 8-year-old niece and
other relatives in their Manhattan apartment. Police said that Menegro claimed
to be "hearing voices in his head" when he killed the girl by
slitting her throat and attacked other relatives on October 19, 2003. Menegro
was alone in the kitchen with his sister's only child when he suddenly snapped
and stabbed the 8-year-old with a steak knife, police said. Other relatives at
home heard blood-curdling screams coming from the room, and the mom and uncle
rushed in to see what was going on, cops said. Horrified at the sight of the
dying girl crumpled on the floor, they tried to stop Menegro, who stabbed and
wounded both of them, police said. Menegro's relatives told police he had been
treated for schizophrenia at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital as recently as
March 2003, but that he stopped taking his medicine. Menegro, who also cut his
own throat during the incident, was moved to Bellevue Hospital after being
treated at Harlem Hospital. Source: New York Post, October 21, 2003 The Daily
News, October 20, 2003 New York Post, October 23, 2003

Date: 3/2001

Location: , , NY

Summary: Juan Arequipa, 49, spiked a bottle of Coca-Cola with
cyanide and tried to get his unsuspecting teenage children to join him in a
fatal toast. Fortunately, both children survived. After Arequipa's son saw his
father and sister were getting sick and collapsing, he called 911. The father
and daughter were unconscious when ambulance workers arrived, and Arequipa
later died. His daughter was in critical but stable condition the next day.
Police sources stated that Arequipa was distraught and depressed. Family
members stated that he had spoken of suicide and was being treated with
medication for depression. Source: Newsday, March 24, 2001

Date: 3/2004

Location: Brooklyn, Kings, NY

Summary: In Brooklyn, NY, Georgia Charlton, 24, a woman with
schizophrenia, attempted suicide in jail in March 2004, days before she was
sentenced to 17 years in prison for throwing a liter of acid on her boyfriend
in 2001. Prior History: Georgia Charlton, 21, threw a liter of acid onto her
boyfriend, Tenlin Lyew, permanently disfiguring his face on June 18, 2001 in
Brooklyn, NY. Charlton was trying to scar Lyew for life because he threatened
to leave her if she had an abortion - but then left her anyway after she
delivered their baby, law-enforcement sources said. She had pleaded not guilty,
claiming in court documents that she doused Lyew with industrial-strength drain
opener after he tried to beat her. Charlton, who has been diagnosed with
paranoid schizophrenia, and Lyew started a steamy love affair in their native
Jamaica. Source: New York Post, March 16, 2004 New York Post, April 15, 2003

Date: 4/2004

Location: New York, New York, NY

Summary: A woman suffering from schizophrenia and Crohns Disease
jumped seven stories to her death on Central Park West in New York City during
a Seder visit to her mother's home on April 5, 2004, police sources said.
Elizabeth Levy, 43, narrowly missed striking someone making a delivery, said a
doorman at the 14-story building. The death leap happened just past 8:30 p.m.
while Levy, from Palo Alto, Calif., was visiting her mother for Passover,
police said. She was pronounced dead on arrival at St. Luke's Hospital. A
police source said Levy left behind a suicide note in which she discussed
wanting to be buried according to the tenets of a new age Eastern religion she
had been following. Source: Newsday (New York), April 6, 2004

Date: 4/2002

Location: Elmsford, Westchester, NY

Summary: Dennis Morgan, a man suffering from paranoid
schizophrenia who took daily medication for about 20 years, was charged with
arson and assault after he set fire to the apartment he shared with his
terminally ill, mother, who also suffered from schizophrenia, in a 14-unit
building in Elmsford, NY in April 2002. The blaze injured two firefighters and
endangered building residents. After the fire, nurses discovered puncture
wounds on his mother's stomach. She told them her son had stabbed her the night
before, and Morgan was then also charged with felony assault. His lawyer argued
that Morgan's mental condition was a mitigating factor and tried to get him
treatment and probation. Westchester County District Attorney Jeanine Pirro
insisted he serve at least five years in prison, and Morgan accepted the plea
bargain, unwilling to have the court case continue with no resolution for an
extended period of time. Morgan's court-appointed attorney, Robin Bauer, said
his case is a prime example of the need for a mental-health court in the
county. Several people familiar with his case believe that Morgan stabbed his
mother and lit the fire in a failed attempt at mercy killing and suicide.
Subsequent History: Morgan, 51, committed suicide on December 8, 2003 at the
Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, NY, where he had been placed in the
general prison population several months earlier, despite his mental illness
and two known previous suicide attempts. Morgan was found alone in his cell,
bleeding from a cutting wound to his throat. He died several hours later.
Source: White Plains Journal News, April 14, 2004 The Journal News.com, April
19, 2004

Date: 12/2003

Location: Dannemora, Clinton, NY

Summary: Dennis Morgan, 51, a man with schizophrenia, committed
suicide on December 8, 2003 at the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora,
NY, where he had been placed in the general prison population several months
earlier, despite his mental illness and two known previous suicide attempts.
Morgan was found alone in his cell, bleeding from a cutting wound to his
throat. He died several hours later. Prior History: Morgan, a man suffering
from paranoid schizophrenia who took daily medication for about 20 years, was
charged with arson and assault after he set fire to the apartment he shared
with his terminally ill, mother, who also suffered from schizophrenia, in a
14-unit building in Elmsford, NY in April 2002. The blaze injured two
firefighters and endangered building residents. After the fire, nurses
discovered puncture wounds on his mother's stomach. She told them her son had
stabbed her the night before, and Morgan was then also charged with felony
assault. His lawyer argued that Morgan's mental condition was a mitigating
factor and tried to get him treatment and probation. Westchester County
District Attorney Jeanine Pirro insisted he serve at least five years in prison
and Morgan accepted the plea deal, unwilling to allow the court case to
continue with no resolution for an extended period of time. Morgan's attorney
said his case is a prime example of the need for a mental-health court in the
county. Several people familiar with his case believe that Morgan stabbed his
mother and lit the fire in a failed attempt at mercy killing and suicide.
Source: White Plains Journal News (NY), April 14, 2004 The Journal News.com,
April 19, 2004

Date: 9/2006

Location: Brooklyn, Kings, NY

Summary: On September 30, 2006, Joseph Bernazard held Phyllis Fine
at knifepoint and threatened to kill her on Brooklyn's trendy restaurant row
before a sharpshooter cop killed him with a single bullet. Fine was within
inches of her attacker when Officer Louis Gubitosi pulled the trigger and
killed the 26-year-old man on the upscale block. Fine said Bernazard, who
moments earlier had sliced another women's neck, never spoke to her as he held
her by the hair. He instead yelled over and over, "Kill me now! I want to
die!" Bernazard's family said he had a history of mental illness and had
taken a turn for the worse recently. "They're after me," he told his
sister Yolanda. The saga began when Bernazard, who was hallucinating and
hearing voices in his head, was taken to Long Island College Hospital on
September 30. But he tore out his IV and walked out of the hospital against
doctors' wishes. He was still wearing his medical bracelet when he was killed.
On the day of the incident, Bernazard grabbed Julie Jacobowitz, 32, a social
worker talking on a cell phone with a friend as she walked home from the gym.
"If they kill me, I won't have to hurt you," Bernazard told
Jacobowitz, police sources said. But as he spoke, he was already slicing into
her neck, causing her to scream in agony. A group of construction workers
confronted Bernazard, who told them, "The cops are going to have to kill
me." When police raced up seconds later, Bernazard pushed the bleeding
32-year-old woman away and ran about 2 blocks to the Met Food Market, where he
grabbed Fine by the hair. "He started yelling, 'I'm going to kill her!'
" Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said. Cops surrounded Bernazard
outside the store. For 10 minutes, the cops tried to reason with Bernazard,
telling him to drop the knife. But he refused and crouched down behind Fine.
After the shooting, an ambulance took Bernazard back to the same hospital he
had walked out of hours before. He was declared dead on arrival. His victims
were not seriously hurt. Source: New York Daily News, October 1, 2006

Date: 4/2004

Location: Manhasset, Nassau, NY

Summary: Jessie Weiner, 24 and her mother Judith, 60, were found
dead in a Manhasset, NY motel after overdosing on pills on April 14, 2004. A
bottle of prescription drugs was found inside the room but no suicide note was
left, police said. The two were reported missing several days earlier when
Barry Weiner, 57, walked into a police stationhouse and said his wife and
daughter had not returned to their Douglaston, Queens home after leaving in the
family car. Sources said Judith Weiner, a retired city elementary school
teacher, had kidney problems and suffered from depression, and that Jessie
Weiner was bipolar. "She was despondent and had a lot of medical
problems," Barry Weiner said of his wife. Both women had attempted suicide
in the past. Detectives from the NYPD's missing persons squad used credit card
information to track them to the motel. It was unclear when they checked in.
Source: New York Daily News, April 15, 2004

Date: 12/2006

Location: Bronx, Bronx, NY

Summary: Anatoly Dimitriev, a 62-year-old man was shot and killed
in a confrontation with police on December 16, 2006. Neighbors said Dimitriev
appeared to be mentally ill. They saw Dimitriev throwing bottles out his
apartment window and chopping at trees with an ax in the courtyard of the co-op
apartment building where he lived with his 41-year-old son in the city's Bronx
borough. After receiving several emergency calls about an elderly man with a
hatchet, police responded to Dimitriev's apartment building. By the time they
arrived, Dimitriev had barricaded himself in his apartment, holding his son
hostage. Police burst through the apartment door, and Dimitriev fled through a
window onto the fire escape, leaving his unharmed son behind. Police followed
Dimitriev, demanding he lay down the ax. When he began to come at police with
the weapon, an officer shot him. Two bullets struck the 62-year-old in the
abdomen. Dimitriev was taken to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Source: Associated Press, December 18, 2006

Date: 12/2006

Location: Buffalo, Erie, NY

Summary: On December 31, 2006, an Erie County sheriff's deputy
fatally shot Roger S. Duchnik after he repeatedly lunged at the deputy and his
partner with a hunting knife. Deputies James Mirusso and Benjamin Pisa were
investigating a complaint from a resident of an apartment complex on North
Buffalo Street who reported that another resident, Duchnik, was threatening
people. The person making the complaint described Duchnik, 52, as mentally ill
and off his medication. The deputies tracked Duchnik to his mother's home on
Springville-Boston Road in Concord, where they encountered him at the bottom of
a steep driveway. They followed Duchnik as he ran up the driveway and ordered
him to take his hands out of his pockets. Duchnik turned back toward the
deputies and pulled out a knife about 8 inches long and began lunging at the
deputies. Mirusso backed up and fell down a 15-foot embankment after Duchnik
swiped near his midsection. Believing his partner had been cut and fearing for
his own life, Pisa fired at least three rounds from his handgun, killing
Duchnik. Source: Buffalo News, January 1 & 3, 2007

Date: 1/2007

Location: Brooklyn, Kings, NY

Summary: In January 2007, Blondel Lassegue, an emotionally
disturbed Brooklyn man, died of a heart attack after being Maced and Tasered by
the police. A relative called the police when Lassegue was acting up at his
uncle's house in Queens, saying he was depressed and delusional, he had
recently gone off medication for bipolar disorder and depression. The police
had difficulty in restraining 38 year old Lassegue; when the Mace did not
subdue Lassegue, they Tasered him. Lasssegue then had a heart attack and was
pronounced dead at a Long Island Hospital. Four officers were injured and three
were hospitalized with non-serious injuries. Lassegue, who graduated from
Hunter College and was recently ordained as a minister through a church in Las
Vegas, had been upset over the recent deaths of his mother and grandmother.
Lassegue's family says they will be consulting with a lawyer. Source:
Gothamist, January 8, 2007; Precinct Flushing Times, January 25, 2007

Date: 10/2001

Location: Bronx, Bronx, NY

Summary: Police killed a mentally ill Bronx man who shot and
injured his sister, Angelika Brinker, 38, and his roommate, Shamula Subaka, 41.
Police said the shooting occurred because Malik Mustafa was pointing a pistol
at his sister's head and refused to yield. Mustafa, 36, has a history of
psychological problems. Police speculate Mustafa's failure to take his
medication triggered this incident. Source: Newsday

Date: 4/2004

Location: New York, , NY

Summary: A Bronx teenage boy and his transgender
"girlfriend" spent four hours in negotiations with police in New
York's Central Park after they climbed a tree dressed only in their underwear
and engaged in sex acts on April 22, 2004. The couple claimed the incident
started out as a suicide attempt, in which both men were going to jump from the
tree. Christopher Montero, 17, was charged with multiple misdemeanors and
released from custody. His pre-operative transsexual lover, 32-year-old William
Rund, was held at Bellevue Hospital for evaluation. Both Montero and Rund are
on antidepressants to combat bipolar disorder and were "very stressed out,"
Montero said. The pair met three months ago in an online chat room. Martin
Rivera, who cares for Rund's grandfather, said lately Rund was acting
"even more outlandish" than usual. Rund was arrested April 14, 2004
for holding a kitchen knife to Rivera's throat, charged with several
misdemeanors and released. Prior History: Montero was diagnosed in December
2003 with bipolar disorder, said his mother, Rose Montero. Montero had been
truant from school since December 2003, when hallucinations and suicide threats
landed him in the Bronx-Lebanon Hospital's psych ward. His former parochial
school would not take him back. Montero said she tried to enroll her son in a
mental health program through the public schools, but the Education Department
didn't offer any options - until after the tree stunt. Source: New York Post,
April 26, 2004 Daily News, April 24 & 29, 2004

Date: 6/2003

Location: Brooklyn, Kings, NY

Summary: Dawn Mitchell, 46, was charged with fatally stabbing her
sister, Ruby, 49, a Brooklyn church worker, capping a long-running feud during
a furious argument on June 19, 2003. Dawn was also wounded in the neck, but
cops said it was not clear if her injuries were self-inflicted. Neighbors said
Ruby, who had devoted her life to helping her sister battle her mental
problems, had gone to Dawn's house after the younger woman was sent home from
her job at a senior-citizens center because of strange behavior. Ruby, who had
often asked co-workers to pray for her sister, was stabbed in the neck and
chest. Source: New York Post, June 24, 2003

Date: 10/2002

Location: Staten Island, Richmond, NY

Summary: Alfred Nelson, 36, was taken to the emergency room of a
psychiatric hospital in Staten Island, NY, where police said the 6-foot-2,
275-pound man became violent and had to be subdued with pepper spray,
medication, and physical force on October 30, 2002. Nelson, who battled
paranoid schizophrenia for 15 years, was pinned by a dozen people, including
several cops, and injected with medication. He was pronounced dead an hour
later. The city medical examiner ruled Nelson's death a homicide by asphyxia
that aggravated a heart condition. A grand jury heard testimony from 30
witnesses in the case, but declined to issue any indictments. The family is
seeking $50 million in damages from the city; Bayley Seton Hospital; St.
Vincent's Catholic Medical Centers, which runs Bayley Seton, and hospital
security firm Burns Security. They also want $50 million in punitive damages
from all parties except the city. Source: Daily News (New York), July 23, 2003

Date: 7/2008

Location: New York, New York, NY

Summary: On July 17, 2008, police fatally shot Spencer Parris, 39,
in the chest. The officer, whom the Police Department would not identify, had
been on patrol with a partner when they were flagged down by a taxi driver
carrying a female passenger. The woman, 28, whom the police did not identify,
told them she had been assaulted by Parris and needed to return to their
apartment to retrieve belongings before going to stay with a friend. Police
Department’s chief spokesman, Paul J. Browne said police went with her, knocked
on the door to their apartment, and identified themselves. Parris said he was
not coming out, but suddenly flung open the door, with a knife in his hand.
Browne alleged that Parris told police several times that he was going to kill
them. The officer, who had backed down the hallway was backed against a
neighbor’s door when he shot Parris. Parris was pronounced dead at
NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell hospital. Allegedly, Parris had punched his
companion in the face and had pulled her hair after they argued over plans to
see a midnight movie. The woman had filed a report in February, soon after they
moved into the apartment, complaining that he had assaulted her. The police have
reports of two domestic incidents there in March. The woman told the police
that they met over the Internet, and that she later found out that he had
bipolar disorder and had once tried to commit suicide. Source: New York Times,
7/19/08

Date: 1/2000

Location: Garden City, Nassau, NY

Summary: Lorecia Cox, 39, a woman with bipolar and multiple
personality disorders, committed suicide in the Nassau County jail in Garden
City, NY in January 2000 after being taken off her mood-stabilizing medication.
She was in jail for allegedly writing a $64,000 bad check. Source: Newsday
(New York), November 5, 2003

Date: 8/2001

Location: Rochester, Monroe, NY

Summary: In August 2001, 26-year-old Fitzroy B. Vines Jr. - known
as "Fitz" or "Junior" - hanged himself in Rochester, NY. A
friend said he had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder but had never filled
his medication prescription to treat it. Vines had attempted suicide once
before, in 1997, when he tried to hang himself in his fraternity room in
college after a fight with his girlfriend. He was treated at a hospital, then
received outpatient care. In a suicide note addressed to his mother, Vines
wrote that he was afraid of the future. "I don't feel I can make it, I
don't even have a picture of how my life would of ended up." Source:
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, November 23, 2003

Date: 2/2003

Location: Riker's Island, , NY

Summary: In February 2003, 29-year-old Carina Montes, a woman with
bipolar disorder who was on suicide watch, hanged herself with a bed sheet in
her Riker's Island jail cell. Several hours before Montes' death another inmate
saw her tearing bed sheets and threatening to kill herself. But the guard who
was called had no idea she was on suicide watch, did not notice the sheets and
never reported the incident. Investigators later determined that a psychiatrist
had never seen Montes during her five months in the jail, and none of the
mental health workers had access to her previous psychiatric records. Montes
was at Riker's on a shoplifting charge. Source: The New York Times, February
28, 2005

Date: 5/2004

Location: Albany, Albany, NY

Summary: On May 15, 2004, Bart Browne, a 33-year-old man with
schizophrenia, hung himself at his family's farm outside Albany, NY. Two weeks
earlier, he had pleaded guilty to second-degree assault under the state's hate
crimes law to avoid a trial and a possible 15 years behind bars, his mother,
Mary Browne said. The plea deal with the Albany County district attorney's
office would have sent the father of two to state prison for up to four years.
Browne was scheduled to be sentenced on June 24, 2004. Prior History: Browne
was accused of punching a man outside an Albany bar in October, 2003 because he
was upset to see him kissing another male. The single punch broke the
28-year-old victim's jaw and caused a permanent loss of feeling in his left
cheek. Mary and Stephen Browne acknowledge their son suffered from a variety of
mental problems, including schizophrenia, and don't deny he struck the man. But
they insist Browne didn't attack the man because he was gay. "When the
schizophrenia would rise up, it was all about anger, frustration and
rage," she said. "But he would have great periods of calm in
between."In an oral statement to Albany Detective Michael Nadoraski, Browne
allegedly said he'd had a bad day when he hit the victim on Oct. 10. He also
said homosexuals "think life is a big joke. "Witnesses said they saw
Browne hit the man, then scream for the "faggots" to stop following
him as witnesses gave chase, said Albany County District Attorney Paul Clyne.
Mary Browne said her son was agitated because he totaled his vehicle in a
head-on crash that morning, a week after two of his best friends were killed in
a collision. Source: Albany Times Union, August 30, 2004

Date: 9/2004

Location: New York, New York, NY

Summary: Glenn Moosnick, a 35-year-old artist struggling with
schizophrenia climbed onto the rafters of the Time Warner Center atrium in New
York City on September 27, 2004 and leaped to his death as noontime shoppers
looked on, police said. Authorities said Moosnick died shortly after the fall
at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital. He had been a resident at Fountain House, a
group home for the mentally ill on West 47th Street, officials said. Moosnick's
sister said her brother had suffered from schizophrenia for 10 years but was
recently doing better. She said her brother was on medication and "didn't
seem depressed", but had been "suicidal off and on," she said.
Source: New York Post, September 28, 2004

Date: 8/2002

Location: Bedford, Westchester, NY

Summary: On August 17, 2002, Jessica Lee Roger, a mentally ill
21-year old inmate, tied a bed sheet around her neck and strangled herself at
the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility in Bedford, NY. Roger had been confined
for 160 days to a "special housing unit" inmates call the
"box", an isolation chamber set apart from the general population
with a concrete floor, a steel door and no clock. Prison doctors had diagnosed
her with bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder, among other
diagnoses. Prior History: Roger had attempted suicide in the "box" at
least four times before she succeeded. After one attempt, she was sent to a
prison psychiatric hospital for a month. Although she received a diagnosis of
bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder and other mental illnesses,
Roger was returned to complete her punishment in the "box". Within
days, she again attempted suicide. According to her mother, Roger had been in
and out of mental hospitals 17 times since she was 11; she had gotten only as
far as the fifth grade. When she was 16 years old, just past the threshold to
be charged as an adult under New York criminal law, Roger was arrested for
biting her sister's arm in a fight. While in custody, she kicked a jail guard
and was convicted of second-degree assault of a correction officer. Dutchess
County Court Judge George Marlow approved a plea deal to send her to an
intensive program for emotionally troubled juveniles. But while she waited in
the hospital for a bed to become available, she set fire to a mattress, and
Marlow was forced to sentence Roger to 3 1/2 to 7 years in prison. Source: The
New York Times Magazine, October 31, 2004

Date: 4/2005

Location: Rocky Point, Suffolk, NY

Summary: John Cox, 39-year-old man with a long history of mental
illness, died on April 22, 2005 after an altercation with Suffolk County (NY)
police, in which he was shocked five times with a Taser. Police had responded
to a 911 call made by someone inside Cox's girlfriend's house in Rocky Point,
NY after Cox became agitated. One witness said the trouble started because Cox
had forgotten to take his medication that day and began raving and punched a
wall, but Cox' s brother said he had taken his medication. Suffolk police said
that it took nine officers to subdue Cox, and the Taser gun did not affect him.
All nine officers were treated and released for minor injuries. Cox, who had
alcohol and cocaine in his blood at the time of his death, had been taking
Zyprexa for his schizophrenia and acute bipolar mania, said his brother. Prior
History: At 20, Cox had his first problem with police, which ended in a
conviction for misdemeanor harassment in 1985. By the time he died, he had
accumulated 22 convictions, mostly disorderly conduct and harassment. Although
he never served more than a month at a time, Cox became a frequent visitor to
the Suffolk County jail in Riverhead until the late 1990s. Cox was also often a
patient at the Kings Park Psychiatric Center and the Stony Brook University Hospital.
His last hospitalization at the Kings Park facility was in early 2005, when he
stayed for 30 days, then moved into a halfway house. Source: Long Island
Newsday, April 25, 2005; Long Island Newsday, April 30, 2005

Date: 3/2001

Location: Fishkill, Dutchess, NY

Summary: Jesse McCann, a 17-year-old boy with mental illness,
hanged himself in a New York State prison on March 16, 2001. According to
official accounts, McCann was being escorted to the mental health unit at the
Downstate Correctional Facility in Fishkill for his medication when he lost
control and began shouting obscenities. A corrections officer tried to quiet
him, and McCann struck the officer and was placed in the disciplinary housing
unit in an isolated cell known as "The Box". Shortly after being
placed in the cell, he tied one end of a sheet to the window, the other to his
neck and hanged himself. Prior History: McCann was in prison after being
sentenced to up to three and half years in state prison for an assault
conviction. The year before his death, McCann broke into a house with friends;
on the day he got probation for that crime, he stole a wallet from a vehicle.
The wallet contained several credit cards, and that made the crime a grand
larceny. A later scuffle with a jail guard at the Ulster County Jail turned
into the assault charge. Since age 10, Jesse had been in and out of psychiatric
hospitals. He was diagnosed with oppositional defiant disorder and intermittent
explosive disorder. Source: New York Times, December 13, 2004 Poughkeepsie
Journal (NY), November 19, 2003 Village Voice, December 23, 2003

Date: 10/2009

Location: Wyandanch, Suffolk, NY

Summary: On October 26, 2009, a family dispute turned deadly when
Courtney Williams, 30, fatally stabbed his disabled mother and his partially
blind stepbrother and also attacked his stepfather. After the rampage at the
family's home, police arrested Williams as he walked just blocks away from the
house. He was charged with two counts of second-degree murder and one count of
second-degree attempted murder. A witness who called 911 at told police
Williams stabbed family members after arguing with his stepbrother, Ernest
Mobley Jr., 25. Police officials said the younger Mobley's girlfriend was in
the house when the violence erupted and she called the authorities. The younger
Mobley and his mother, Queen Mobley, 52, were pronounced dead at Good Samaritan
Hospital Medical Center in West Islip. Ernest Mobley Sr. was taken to Nassau
University Medical Center in East Meadow and was in stable condition with stab
wounds later that afternoon, spokeswoman Shelley Lotenberg said. Family members
of the victims said Williams was mentally ill and had begun acting erratically
after he stopped his medication. Queen Mobley's sister-in-law Barbara Brown of Wyandanch
and her sister, Mary Goodbread of Goldsboro, N.C., said Queen Mobley had
contacted police on October 24 to report that Williams "was acting
out." "They told her that he would have to hurt somebody before they
would do anything," said Goodbread, 62. "Now they've got to
answer." Suffolk police said they responded Saturday night to a domestic
disturbance call. Source: Newsday, 10/27/09

Date: 10/2009

Location: Wyandanch, Suffolk, NY

Summary: On October 26, 2009, a family dispute turned deadly when
Courtney Williams, 30, fatally stabbed his disabled mother and his partially
blind stepbrother and also attacked his stepfather. After the rampage at the
family's home, police arrested Williams as he walked just blocks away from the
house. He was charged with two counts of second-degree murder and one count of
second-degree attempted murder. A witness who called 911 at told police
Williams stabbed family members after arguing with his stepbrother, Ernest
Mobley Jr., 25. Police officials said the younger Mobley's girlfriend was in
the house when the violence erupted and she called the authorities. The younger
Mobley and his mother, Queen Mobley, 52, were pronounced dead at Good Samaritan
Hospital Medical Center in West Islip. Ernest Mobley Sr. was taken to Nassau
University Medical Center in East Meadow and was in stable condition with stab
wounds later that afternoon, spokeswoman Shelley Lotenberg said. Family members
of the victims said Williams was mentally ill and had begun acting erratically
after he stopped his medication. Queen Mobley's sister-in-law Barbara Brown of
Wyandanch and her sister, Mary Goodbread of Goldsboro, N.C., said Queen Mobley
had contacted police on October 24 to report that Williams "was acting
out." "They told her that he would have to hurt somebody before they
would do anything," said Goodbread, 62. "Now they've got to
answer." Suffolk police said they responded Saturday night to a domestic
disturbance call. Source: Newsday, 10/27/09

Date: 10/2009

Location: Wyandanch, Suffolk, NY

Summary: On October 26, 2009, a family dispute turned deadly when
Courtney Williams, 30, fatally stabbed his disabled mother and his partially
blind stepbrother and also attacked his stepfather. After the rampage at the
family's home, police arrested Williams as he walked just blocks away from the
house. He was charged with two counts of second-degree murder and one count of
second-degree attempted murder. A witness who called 911 at told police
Williams stabbed family members after arguing with his stepbrother, Ernest
Mobley Jr., 25. Police officials said the younger Mobley's girlfriend was in
the house when the violence erupted and she called the authorities. The younger
Mobley and his mother, Queen Mobley, 52, were pronounced dead at Good Samaritan
Hospital Medical Center in West Islip. Ernest Mobley Sr. was taken to Nassau
University Medical Center in East Meadow and was in stable condition with stab
wounds later that afternoon, spokeswoman Shelley Lotenberg said. Family members
of the victims said Williams was mentally ill and had begun acting erratically
after he stopped his medication. Queen Mobley's sister-in-law Barbara Brown of
Wyandanch and her sister, Mary Goodbread of Goldsboro, N.C., said Queen Mobley
had contacted police on October 24 to report that Williams "was acting
out." "They told her that he would have to hurt somebody before they
would do anything," said Goodbread, 62. "Now they've got to
answer." Suffolk police said they responded Saturday night to a domestic disturbance
call. Source: Newsday, 10/27/09

Date: 12/2009

Location: Queensbury, Warren, NY

Summary: On December 1, 2009, Joanne M. Mattison stabbed her
ex-boyfriend, James D. Euber to death at the home he shared with his sister,
Becky "Grace" Biggs. Biggs and her roommate were present at the time
of the stabbing, and tried to help Euber. Police said Mattison was charged with
second-degree murder but would not say what prompted the attack, or where Euber
was stabbed. After the incident, Mattison told a reporter that she and Euber
argued because he had stolen money from her, Euber’s sister, Cheryl Ross said
the family believes Mattison went to the trailer seeking money from Euber
because Euber had gotten paid hours earlier from his job as a dishwasher at
Panera Bread in Queensbury. The two had argued the day before because Mattison,
who was unemployed, wanted Euber to buy her beer but he would not, according to
Ross. Police and friends of Mattison, 48, have said she had an extensive
history of mental health problems. Her father, John Mattison, said she was
diagnosed as bipolar years ago, and has "problems" when she does not
take her medication. "When she's on her medication, she's as normal as you
and I," he said. "I want to make sure she gets back on her medication."
Prior History: A neighbor of the trailer where Mattison killed Euber said
Mattison came to his home on the day of the incident to use his phone and she
called the FBI to report that Euber had stabbed her with a needle and stolen
money from her. The neighbor, who spoke on condition of anonymity out of
concern for retribution from police, said Mattison told him that she had been
to the Glens Falls Police Department and Warren County Sheriff's Office to make
complaints about her "boyfriend," but that neither agency would take
her complaint. He said Mattison hung up the phone after the calling the FBI,
cursed and said she planned to go to the Warren County District Attorney's
Office. It was unclear if she visited the office. Glens Falls Police Capt. Will
Valenza said Mattison visited the department to make a complaint at some point
the prior week, and after officers wouldn't take her complaint because it was
not clear what she was alleging, she visited his office on November 25. City
police "had a lot of contact" with her in recent months, he said.
"She was mad she wasn't able to make a complaint. She wouldn't say what
happened, when it happened or where it happened," Valenza said. "She
made no mention of her boyfriend or any man." Mattison did not make any
threats against herself or anyone else, and did not mention Euber, Valenza
said. Source: Glen Falls Post Star, 12/3/09

Date: 7/2009

Location: Manhattan, New York, NY

Summary: On July 30, 2009, Ivy Supersonic, whose real name is Ivy
Silberstein, a member of Howard Stern's wack pack, screamed wildly at police as
she was loaded into an ambulance outside her luxury Union Square building,
witnesses said. Police responded to her apartment after they received a call
she was acting erratically and was possibly armed, police sources said. The
heavily-tattooed Silberstein, who investigators believe sliced herself in the
arm with a knife she's been toting in recent days, was taken to Bellevue
Hospital for observation. She was not charged with a crime. Silberstein's
removal from the Zeckendorf Towers marked the end of a bizarre 24 hours for the
fashion designer, who posted frenzied messages on her Facebook page alleging
that Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly was conspiring against her. "Who
ever [sic] has a copy of the voice notes file send to FBI," she typed.
"UR very smart - send same tapes to Homeland and CIA protect me from Ray
Kelly FedEx it to Obama now!!!" Silberstein, 42, posted one last time
moments before she surrendered, asking people to call her lawyer. Police
sources said Silberstein's doctor called 911 to say that his patient, the
daughter of famed attorney Jerome Silberstein, was bipolar and off her
medication. Source: New York Daily News, 7/30/09

Date: 2/2010

Location: Bronx, Bronx, NY

Summary: On February 21, 2010, Satnam Singh, 32, was killed by two
police who caught him bashing his mother in the head with a frying pan. Singh
refused to drop the pan when the uniformed patrol officers went to his family's
Melrose apartment to check on his mother, Kaur Balbir, 61. "Go away! Go
away!" Singh screamed at the cops, according to Donovan Howell, super of
the building. Howell said he fetched a pass key to Balbir's apartment when the
police were unable to get anyone to answer their knock. Through a crack in the
chain-locked door, they spotted Singh, who, sources said, was bipolar,
pummeling his mother with a flat pan. The police kicked the door down, and
Officer Brian McCarthy and an unidentified sergeant fired multiple shots at
Singh who died at the scene. Balbir was taken to Lincoln Hospital, where she
was in critical condition with a cracked skull, a fractured left shin and a
busted left arm. Source: NY Daily News, 2/22/10

Date: 12/2011

Location: New York, New York, NY

Summary: On December 4, 2011, 40-year-old Steven Angelides walked
into a New York police station saying he was a terrorist and had a plastic bag
holding a propane tank rigged to look like a bomb. Angelides said more
explosive devices were inside a blue van parked in front of an apartment
building owned by Angelides’s family. The bomb squad responded to the building
and found the van but no explosives. Angelides’ family told police that he
suffered from bipolar disorder and hadn’t taken his medication for at least a
week. Source: Wall Street Journal, 12/5/11

Date: 2/2011

Location: Auburn, Cayuga, NY

Summary: On February 23, 2011, Peter Harris approached a man at a
gas station and asked him for a ride around midnight. When the man refused,
Harris shoved him and ripped the fuel door cover off his car. Harris’ victim
attempted to run into the store but Harris pursued and attacked his victim both
outside and inside the store. Harris smashed out the man’s window, slashed
three of his car tires, and threatened him with a knife. Subsequent History: On
December 8, 2011, the 32-year-old Harris was sentenced to 3.5 to seven years in
prison. On October 26, Harris had been convicted of possessing a knife and
using it to threaten a man and to slash the victim's car tires. Harris was also
found guilty of physically attacking the victim. Harris’ attorney said his
client suffered from paranoid schizophrenia and was not taking his medication
at the time of the gas station incident. Source: Auburn Pub, 12/9/11

Date: 12/2011

Location: Spring Valley, Rockland, NY

Summary: On December 14, 2011, 48-year-old Herve Gilles was
fatally shot after he attacked Spring Valley Police Officer John Roper and took
away Roper’s nightstick. Roper responded to the scene where Gilles was throwing
rocks at a bar. It was the second time that day that Roper had been called to
the bar to deal with Gilles, who had been at the bar screaming unintelligibly
about an hour earlier. Gilles’ friends said he was a chronically mentally ill
man who could get out of control when drunk or off his medications. Roper was
taken to the hospital where he was treated for lacerations and bite marks.
Subsequent History: In May 2012, a grand jury found that that Roper was
justified in using deadly force against Gilles. Prior History: Gilles had been
arrested for criminal offenses 33 times since 1990, including eight felonies,
four of which were violent. However, as the D.A. noted in the report, when
Gilles wasn't drunk, off his meds, or high on marijuana, he was a great guy who
did volunteer work with his church. Source: LoHud.com, 12/15/11; Village
Voice, 5/8/12

Date: 8/2011

Location: Buffalo, Erie, NY

Summary: On August 22, 2011, 32-year-old Jawain Wilson fatally
stabbed 21-year-old Joshua Thomas. The two were working at a Goodwill
Industries Store when they got into an argument Subsequent History: On January
5, 2012, a judge sentenced Wilson to 20 years in prison. Wilson’s attorney said
his client, diagnosed with Paranoid Schizophrenia, was off his medication at
the time of the incident. Source: WKBW.com, 8/22/11, 1/5/12

Date: 4/2011

Location: Lockport, Niagara, NY

Summary: On April 21, 2011, Hans S. Diefenbach, diagnosed with
schizophrenia, stabbed 65-year-old Norma Confer with a pair of knives, leaving
one in her back. She died in May 2011 after being in a coma for five weeks. He
believed Confer was trying to poison him. Subsequent History: On March 8, 2012,
the 47-year-old Diefenbach was sentenced to 10 years in state prison, five
years of post release supervision and a $5,000 fine. Diefenbach pleaded guilty
to first-degree manslaughter in December 2011, as part of a plea deal which
includes a maximum sentence of 10 years. Diefenbach’s attorney noted that all
of the psychiatrists who had evaluated him said he was not competent to stand
trial. Source: Niagara Gazette, 3/8/12

Date: 7/2011

Location: Brooklyn, Kings, NY

Summary: On July 11, 2011, 35-year-old Levi Aron abducted and
murdered 8-year-old Leiby Kletzky. Aron confessed to suffocating the boy with a
bath towel and then cutting up the body. Aron picked up Leiby while he was
walking home from a Borough Park day camp alone for the first time. Police said
that even though Leiby had practiced the route, he got lost and approached Aron
for help. Aron took the child home and killed him two days later when he panicked
after seeing photos of the missing boy on fliers distributed in his
neighborhood. The same day, Aron was arrested and confessed to the crime.
Leiby’s remains were found in two Brooklyn locations, two and a half miles from
each other. Body parts were found in a black plastic garbage bag inside of
suitcase in a dumpster and in the refrigerator of the third-floor attic of the
home where Aron lived. Subsequently, the Medical Examiner reported that Leiby
had been drugged before he was smothered to death, including with a drug used
to treat schizophrenia, the medical examiner said. Aron was sent to Bellevue
Hospital for a psychiatric evaluation. His lawyers said he hears voices and
sees hallucinations. Source: NewYorkDailyNews.com, 7/14/11; ABCNews.com, 7/14/11;
MSNBC, 7/20/11; New York Post, 8/11/11

Date: 7/2011

Location: Bronx, Bronx, NY

Summary: On July 22, 2011, 42-year-old Richard Arrocho forced his
way into a train driver's compartment on the New York subway and threatened to
stab him with a screwdriver. According to witnesses, Arrocho was yelling that
somebody was trying to kill him. The train driver said that he opened his
window to investigate and Arrocho climbed into the cab when he turned to radio
a supervisor. Arrocho threatened the driver and grabbed the controls at one
point. One of the passengers managed to film the incident through the window of
the driver's compartment. When the train stopped, the driver was able to flee
the cab. Passengers assisted the driver in holding Arrocho in the cab until police
arrived. Authorities said that Arrocho has a history of mental illness and has
spent some time in a psychiatric ward. Also, he has been arrested at least 40
times on a range of charges, from robbery to petty larceny. Source: UK Daily
Mail, 7/26/11; CBSNewYork.com, 7/26/11

Date: 7/2011

Location: Bronx, Bronx, NY

Summary: On July 22, 2011, 42-year-old Richard Arrocho forced his
way into a train driver's compartment on the New York subway and threatened to
stab him with a screwdriver. According to witnesses, Arrocho was yelling that
somebody was trying to kill him. The train driver said that he opened his
window to investigate and Arrocho climbed into the cab when he turned to radio
a supervisor. Arrocho threatened the driver and grabbed the controls at one
point. One of the passengers managed to film the incident through the window of
the driver's compartment. When the train stopped, the driver was able to flee
the cab. Passengers assisted the driver in holding Arrocho in the cab until
police arrived. Authorities said that Arrocho has a history of mental illness
and has spent some time in a psychiatric ward. Also, he has been arrested at
least 40 times on a range of charges, from robbery to petty larceny. Source:
UK Daily Mail, 7/26/11; CBSNewYork.com, 7/26/11

Date: 12/2009

Location: Vestal, Broome, NY

Summary: On December 4, 2009, 46-year-old Bingham University
student Abdulsalam S. al-Zahrani, fatally stabbed 77-year-old Professor Richard
T. Antoun in his university office. Professor Antoun, a retired anthropology
professor, was a specialist in Islamic and Middle Eastern studies who had
worked with Zahrani. Zahrani, a citizen of Saudi Arabia, was a graduate student
in anthropology. Zahrani was indicted January 22, 2010 by a grand jury on one
felony count of second-degree murder. He pleaded not guilty. Subsequent
History: In a July 21, 2010 filing, Abdulsalam S. al-Zahrani’s defense attorney
reported he had been suffering from Schizoaffective Disorder for a long time
and lacked capacity to know or appreciate the nature and consequences of his
conduct. Source: The New York Times, 12/5/09; PressConnects.com, 9/27/10

Date: 10/2010

Location: Long Island, Queens, NY

Summary: On October 8, 2010, 23-year-old Evan Sachs crept up
behind an 8-year-old boy playing a video game at a restaurant, put a hand on
his shoulder and plunged a 4-inch blade into his back five times as witnesses
watched in horror. The boy suffered a punctured lung in the assault in a Long
Island shopping mall. He was hospitalized in stable condition and expected to
recover. After the boy staggered, bleeding, to his mother, his father and a
witness to the assault grabbed the suspect as he walked toward a restroom and
held him until officers arrived, police said. Neither the child nor his family
knew Sachs and they lived in different towns. Subsequent History: Police said
Evan Sachs had been hunting for a child to kill for weeks. Sachs' attorney,
Charles Rosenblum, told reporters his client has been under psychiatric care
and recently had medications changed. Source: MyFoxNY, 10/09/10; CBSNews.com,
10/12/10

Date: 10/2010

Location: Staten Island, Richmond, NY

Summary: On either October 12 or 13, 2010, 30-year-old Eric
Bellucci, diagnosed with Schizophrenia, stabbed his parents to death in their Staten
Island Home. Eric’s sister, called police when she went to the house because
her parents weren't answering the phone. She opened the door and saw blood
before running out and calling 911. Police found the bodies of 61-year-old
Arthur Bellucci and 56-year-old Marian Bellucci in the home. After the
killings, Bellucci went to Newark Airport where he caught a flight to Israel,
where a friend lives. He was captured in Israel on October 15 as he tried to
purchase a ticket to China. Following his capture, the delusional Bellucci told
authorities that he was there to avenge his parents' deaths and find the Mossad
agent who killed them. His sister told police cops her brother was furious
because she and her parents were trying to get him help. Prior History: Belluci
was diagnosed with Schizophrenia surfaced after college, causing him to be
hospitalized twice. He became delusional and violent and often turned his rage
on his family. His mental demons worsened in recent months as he refused to
take his medication, relatives said. Subsequent History: On July 21, 2011, two
state psychiatrists determined the 31-year-old Bellucci was fit for trial. The
stunning turnaround came less than three months after a Staten Island justice
had found Bellucci mentally incompetent for trial and ordered him sent to a
secure psychiatric facility. Subsequently, another psychiatrist found Bellucci
unfit to proceed with trial. Subsequent History: On March 9, 2012, a judge set
an April 18 hearing date to for a mental competency hearing. Source: New York
Daily News, 10/15/10, 10/17/10; New York, CBS 2, 10/19/10; Daily Press (VA),
10/16/10; HealthCentral.com, 10/16/10; NY1, 4/28/11; Staten Island Advance,
5/11/11, 9/9/11; Staten Island Shore, 7/22/11; SI Live, 3/9/12

Date: 10/2010

Location: Staten Island, Richmond, NY

Summary: On either October 12 or 13, 2010, 30-year-old Eric
Bellucci, diagnosed with Schizophrenia, stabbed his parents to death in their
Staten Island Home. Eric’s sister, called police when she went to the house
because her parents weren't answering the phone. She opened the door and saw
blood before running out and calling 911. Police found the bodies of
61-year-old Arthur Bellucci and 56-year-old Marian Bellucci in the home. After
the killings, Bellucci went to Newark Airport where he caught a flight to
Israel, where a friend lives. He was captured in Israel on October 15 as he
tried to purchase a ticket to China. Following his capture, the delusional
Bellucci told authorities that he was there to avenge his parents' deaths and
find the Mossad agent who killed them. His sister told police cops her brother
was furious because she and her parents were trying to get him help. Prior
History: Belluci was diagnosed with Schizophrenia surfaced after college,
causing him to be hospitalized twice. He became delusional and violent and
often turned his rage on his family. His mental demons worsened in recent
months as he refused to take his medication, relatives said. Subsequent
History: On July 21, 2011, two state psychiatrists determined the 31-year-old
Bellucci was fit for trial. The stunning turnaround came less than three months
after a Staten Island justice had found Bellucci mentally incompetent for trial
and ordered him sent to a secure psychiatric facility. Subsequently, another psychiatrist
found Bellucci unfit to proceed with trial. Subsequent History: On March 9,
2012, a judge set an April 18 hearing date to for a mental competency hearing.
Source: New York Daily News, 10/15/10, 10/17/10; New York, CBS 2, 10/19/10;
Daily Press (VA), 10/16/10; HealthCentral.com, 10/16/10; NY1, 4/28/11; Staten
Island Advance, 5/11/11, 9/9/11; Staten Island Shore, 7/22/11; SI Live, 3/9/12

Date: 11/2010

Location: Long Island, Queens, NY

Summary: On November 20, 2010, 48-year-old Thomas Scimone, was
armed with a shotgun and threatened to kill firefighters was shot by police as
he ran from his burning home. He was in critical condition following the
incident. A relative said she believed Scimone was not taking his medication
for bipolar disorder. The incident began when Scimone set a fire in his living
room. Police said he then threatened to gun down responding firefighters. He
jumped out of a window and ran through the neighborhood with his shotgun.
Police gave chase. He didn’t respond to their commands to drop his weapon,
rather turned and pointed the shotgun at police who opened fire. Subsequent
History: On November 25, 2010 Scimone, who had been in critical condition
following the incident, died at Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center.
Source: NY Daily News, 11/21/10; NBCNewYork.com, 11/21/10, 11/26/10

Date: 9/2010

Location: Greece, Monroe, NY

Summary: On September 29, 2010, 23-year-old Kurt Neusatz fatally
stabbed his mother, 53-year-old Monica Neusatz in their home. When policed
arrived, they found Monica’s body in an upstairs bedroom. Kurt was found on the
front porch with self-inflicted stab wounds on his neck. His family reported he
had been treated for schizophrenia since the age of 17. Subsequent History: On
January 4, 2011, a judge ordered Kurt Neusatz to undergo a mental health
evaluation to determine if he was competent to stand trial for second-degree
murder. Source: 13WHAM.com, 9/30/10; DemocratandChronicle.com, 12/1/10;
Associated Press, 1/4/11; GreecePost.com, 1/4/11

Date: 7/2011

Location: Utica, Oneida, NY

Summary: On July 19, 2011, 30-year-old David. L. Trebilcock
fatally stabbed 6-year-old Lauren Belius, while her twin sister Erica watched.
Trebilcock was the live-in boyfriend of Alison Belius, the child's mother. He
stabbed himself after he attacked Lauren. Trebilcock barricaded the twins'
bedroom door with a dresser during the incident. Alison Belius awoke to her
children’s screams and forced her way into the bedroom to find Trebilcock
stabbing Lauren. Trebilcock cut his own wrists and stabbed himself in the chest
after he attacked the child. Subsequent History: On February 14, 2012, a judge
found Trebilcock not criminally responsible for fatally stabbing Lauren due to
mental disease or defect. During the trial, a forensic psychiatrist for the
defense testified that Trebilcock suffered from paranoid schizophrenia with a
poor prognosis. Source: OneidaDispatch.com, 7/21/11; New York,
Observer-Dispatch, 2/14/12

Date: 7/2011

Location: Utica, Oneida, NY

Summary: On July 19, 2011, 30-year-old David. L. Trebilcock
fatally stabbed 6-year-old Lauren Belius, while her twin sister Erica watched.
Trebilcock was the live-in boyfriend of Alison Belius, the child's mother. He
stabbed himself after he attacked Lauren. Trebilcock barricaded the twins'
bedroom door with a dresser during the incident. Alison Belius awoke to her
children’s screams and forced her way into the bedroom to find Trebilcock
stabbing Lauren. Trebilcock cut his own wrists and stabbed himself in the chest
after he attacked the child. Subsequent History: On February 14, 2012, a judge
found Trebilcock not criminally responsible for fatally stabbing Lauren due to
mental disease or defect. During the trial, a forensic psychiatrist for the
defense testified that Trebilcock suffered from paranoid schizophrenia with a
poor prognosis. Source: OneidaDispatch.com, 7/21/11; New York,
Observer-Dispatch, 2/14/12

Date: 4/2012

Location: Bronx, Bronx, NY

Summary: On April 8, 2012, 24-year-old Bennedy Abreu attacked
Police Officer William Fair and Officer Phillip White with a knife. Fair was
cut in the neck, jaw, nose and lip. He needed 15 stitches to close his wounds.
White's wrist was wounded during the incident. Abreu, who had a history of
severe mental illness and violence, was not taking his medication. Prior
History: Abreu’s family said he suffered from schizophrenia and should not have
been taken off his medication. The family said they became concerned in April
2011, when Abreu stopped receiving court-ordered treatment for his illness. It
was then, they said, that doctors at North Central Bronx Hospital told them
that Abreu no longer needed medication. They said Abreu’s behavior had become
more erratic over the past year. In January, they checked him in for treatment
at North Central Bronx Hospital. He was released in 10 days. The family said,
upon his release, Abreu's behavior had not changed from before he was checked
in. Source: New York Daily News, 4/13/12, 4/16/12; The Riverdale Press,
04/18/12

Date: 4/2012

Location: Harlem, Manhattan, NY

Summary: On April 17, 2012, 26-year-old Terrance Hale, who had
stopped taking his psychotropic medications a month before, stabbed 28-year-old
Officer Eder Loor in the skull with a knife. The knife pierced Loor’s skull and
went into his brain. Loor had responded to Hale’s mother’s 911 call asking
police to take Hale, who was acting irrationally, to the hospital. Loor was in
critical but stable condition after the attack. Hale’s mother said he had been
diagnosed 10 years before with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and depression.
Hale, who attacked Loor without warning in the lobby of his building, was
arrested at the scene. Prior History: In October 2010, police were called to
Hale’s home on a report that he was suicidal. At that time, he was hospitalized
without a confrontation. Hale had a criminal history including a 2006 stabbing,
along with arrests for robbery, assault and riot, authorities said. Subsequent
History: On May 17, 2012, Hale’s attorney entered a plea of not guilty to
attempted murder, assault upon a police officer and criminal possession of a
weapon, during Hale’s arraignment. Source: New York Daily News, 4/18/12 (3
articles); New York Post, 5/17/12

Date: 4/2012

Location: Bronx, Bronx, NY

Summary: On April 8, 2012, 24-year-old Bennedy Abreu attacked
Police Officer William Fair and Officer Phillip White with a knife. Fair was
cut in the neck, jaw, nose and lip. He needed 15 stitches to close his wounds.
White's wrist was wounded during the incident. Abreu, who had a history of
severe mental illness and violence, was not taking his medication. Prior
History: Abreu’s family said he suffered from schizophrenia and should not have
been taken off his medication. The family said they became concerned in April
2011, when Abreu stopped receiving court-ordered treatment for his illness. It
was then, they said, that doctors at North Central Bronx Hospital told them
that Abreu no longer needed medication. They said Abreu’s behavior had become
more erratic over the past year. In January, they checked him in for treatment
at North Central Bronx Hospital. He was released in 10 days. The family said,
upon his release, Abreu's behavior had not changed from before he was checked
in. Source: New York Daily News, 4/13/12, 4/16/12; The Riverdale Press, 04/18/12

Date: 4/2010

Location: West Seneca, Erie, NY

Summary: On April 25, 2010, 56-year-old Jerome Brylski, diagnosed
with paranoid schizophrenia, initiated a shoot out with police. The incident
began when family members contacted Crisis Services to alert them to the danger
they felt was imminent. But before the counselors could talk to him, Brylski
was on his way to a shootout with police. West Seneca Police Chief Edward F.
Gehen Jr. said dispatchers got a call saying Brylski “had a gun that would
shoot through five police officers, and he was acting irrationally.” Officers
met up with Crisis Services counselors to coordinate a plan. In the meantime,
Brylski called two friends, Jeffrey Edwards and Dianna Dangelo, to come over.
When they pulled into his driveway, he got into their car. As Crisis Services
counselors were on their way to Brylski’s house, West Seneca police pulled over
the car he was riding in. Brylski jumped out of the back seat, police said, and
opened fire with a rifle on the four officers at the scene. Brylski and
Edwards, who drove the car, both were struck at least twice and were taken to
Erie County Medical Center, the chief said. Brylski was listed in stable
condition, with at least one wound to the torso. Edwards’ condition was more
serious, authorities said, as he was struck in the neck. The police officers
were not wounded. Brylski was charged with four counts of first-degree
attempted murder, authorities said. Prior History: For years, Jerome Brylski
had managed to function, despite the mental illness that seemed to transform
everyday events into what he believed was further evidence of a government
conspiracy against him. His grown children said they had been trying for more
than a year to get authorities to intervene and get their father the help he
needed for his paranoid schizophrenia. “This could have been prevented, had the
system not failed me and my family. It took something that escalated into a
shootout to get someone to listen,” one of his daughters said. “We begged the
courts to get him a mental health evaluation. They never pursued it. He never
went.” Brylski had gotten into a number of scrapes with police within the past
year, his children said, and at each point along the way, his family tried to
get him the help he needed. They said the system failed, and Brylski just got
sicker, refusing medication and counseling. At one point last year, his family
had him committed to a psychiatric ward. He got out less than two weeks later
and wasn’t taking his medication. Months later, a West Seneca judge ordered him
to under-go a mental health evaluation. Brylski never got one, relatives said,
and the court did not push the issue. In recent weeks, he had taken to sleeping
with a gun next to his bed. He sent out countless e-mails, text messages and
faxes, complaining of the conspiracy against him. Source: Buffalo News,
4/27/10

Date: 4/2010

Location: West Seneca, Erie, NY

Summary: On April 25, 2010, 56-year-old Jerome Brylski, diagnosed
with paranoid schizophrenia, initiated a shoot out with police. The incident
began when family members contacted Crisis Services to alert them to the danger
they felt was imminent. But before the counselors could talk to him, Brylski
was on his way to a shootout with police. West Seneca Police Chief Edward F.
Gehen Jr. said dispatchers got a call saying Brylski “had a gun that would
shoot through five police officers, and he was acting irrationally.” Officers
met up with Crisis Services counselors to coordinate a plan. In the meantime,
Brylski called two friends, Jeffrey Edwards and Dianna Dangelo, to come over.
When they pulled into his driveway, he got into their car. As Crisis Services
counselors were on their way to Brylski’s house, West Seneca police pulled over
the car he was riding in. Brylski jumped out of the back seat, police said, and
opened fire with a rifle on the four officers at the scene. Brylski and
Edwards, who drove the car, both were struck at least twice and were taken to
Erie County Medical Center, the chief said. Brylski was listed in stable
condition, with at least one wound to the torso. Edwards’ condition was more
serious, authorities said, as he was struck in the neck. The police officers
were not wounded. Brylski was charged with four counts of first-degree
attempted murder, authorities said. Prior History: For years, Jerome Brylski
had managed to function, despite the mental illness that seemed to transform
everyday events into what he believed was further evidence of a government
conspiracy against him. His grown children said they had been trying for more
than a year to get authorities to intervene and get their father the help he
needed for his paranoid schizophrenia. “This could have been prevented, had the
system not failed me and my family. It took something that escalated into a
shootout to get someone to listen,” one of his daughters said. “We begged the
courts to get him a mental health evaluation. They never pursued it. He never
went.” Brylski had gotten into a number of scrapes with police within the past
year, his children said, and at each point along the way, his family tried to
get him the help he needed. They said the system failed, and Brylski just got
sicker, refusing medication and counseling. At one point last year, his family
had him committed to a psychiatric ward. He got out less than two weeks later
and wasn’t taking his medication. Months later, a West Seneca judge ordered him
to under-go a mental health evaluation. Brylski never got one, relatives said,
and the court did not push the issue. In recent weeks, he had taken to sleeping
with a gun next to his bed. He sent out countless e-mails, text messages and
faxes, complaining of the conspiracy against him. Source: Buffalo News,
4/27/10

Date: 4/2010

Location: West Seneca, Erie, NY

Summary: On April 25, 2010, 56-year-old Jerome Brylski, diagnosed
with paranoid schizophrenia, initiated a shoot out with police. The incident
began when family members contacted Crisis Services to alert them to the danger
they felt was imminent. But before the counselors could talk to him, Brylski
was on his way to a shootout with police. West Seneca Police Chief Edward F.
Gehen Jr. said dispatchers got a call saying Brylski “had a gun that would
shoot through five police officers, and he was acting irrationally.” Officers
met up with Crisis Services counselors to coordinate a plan. In the meantime,
Brylski called two friends, Jeffrey Edwards and Dianna Dangelo, to come over.
When they pulled into his driveway, he got into their car. As Crisis Services
counselors were on their way to Brylski’s house, West Seneca police pulled over
the car he was riding in. Brylski jumped out of the back seat, police said, and
opened fire with a rifle on the four officers at the scene. Brylski and
Edwards, who drove the car, both were struck at least twice and were taken to
Erie County Medical Center, the chief said. Brylski was listed in stable
condition, with at least one wound to the torso. Edwards’ condition was more
serious, authorities said, as he was struck in the neck. The police officers
were not wounded. Brylski was charged with four counts of first-degree
attempted murder, authorities said. Prior History: For years, Jerome Brylski
had managed to function, despite the mental illness that seemed to transform
everyday events into what he believed was further evidence of a government
conspiracy against him. His grown children said they had been trying for more
than a year to get authorities to intervene and get their father the help he
needed for his paranoid schizophrenia. “This could have been prevented, had the
system not failed me and my family. It took something that escalated into a
shootout to get someone to listen,” one of his daughters said. “We begged the
courts to get him a mental health evaluation. They never pursued it. He never
went.” Brylski had gotten into a number of scrapes with police within the past
year, his children said, and at each point along the way, his family tried to
get him the help he needed. They said the system failed, and Brylski just got
sicker, refusing medication and counseling. At one point last year, his family
had him committed to a psychiatric ward. He got out less than two weeks later
and wasn’t taking his medication. Months later, a West Seneca judge ordered him
to under-go a mental health evaluation. Brylski never got one, relatives said,
and the court did not push the issue. In recent weeks, he had taken to sleeping
with a gun next to his bed. He sent out countless e-mails, text messages and
faxes, complaining of the conspiracy against him. Source: Buffalo News,
4/27/10

Date: 11/2010

Location: Brooklyn, Kings, NY

Summary: On November 23, 2010, 31-year-old Michael Brea killed his
mother 55-year-old Yannick Brea with a samurai sword after a fight. Brea lived
with his mother and twin brother in the Brooklyn apartment where the incident
occurred. Neighbors and relatives said Brea was a "quiet man" who
admired his mother. Brea, a Haitian American actor who had small roles in ABC's
show "Ugly Betty" and the movie "Step Up 3D," was also a
local businessman who had given away free turkeys on Thanksgiving at his Subway
sandwich franchise in Brooklyn. However the parent company took his franchise
away for poor performance and management issues. Subsequent History: On April
27, 2012, Brea pleaded not responsible by reason of mental disease or defect to
his mother’s death after psychiatrists for both sides diagnosed him with
schizophrenia. Prosecutors said Brea would be sent to a mental health facility,
likely either Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan or Mid-Hudson Forensic Psychiatric
Center in upstate New York. Source: CBSNews.com, 11/24/10; Patch.com, 5/3/12

Date: 12/2010

Location: Auburn, Cayuga, NY

Summary: On December 18, 2010, 42-year-old Darrell McClain stabbed
his neighbor, 46-year-old David Fordyce, repeatedly after Fordyce asked him to
stop yelling in the hallway. McClain was arrested at the scene. Fordyce was
taken to the hospital, where he was treated and released. Police said the fight
began the day before the alleged assault when Fordyce accused McClain of stealing
$50 from him. Police said although Fordyce allegedly threatened to hurt McClain
with a shotgun, a gun was never brandished. Officers responded to the verbal
dispute that day and warned the men to stay away from each other. But instead,
the argument escalated. McClain's attorney said his client had a history of
paranoid schizophrenia and alcohol abuse. Subsequent History: On May 15, 2012,
McClain pleaded guilty to second-degree attempted murder, first-degree
attempted assault, and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon in exchange
for a promised sentence of no more than 12 years in prison. Source:
Syracuse.com, 12/19/10; The Citizen, 5/15/12

Date: 6/2012

Location: Huntington, Suffolk, NY

Summary: On June 16, 2012, 28-year-old Matthew Hubrins, who had a
history of mental illness, fatally stabbed his stepfather, 44-year-old Noel
Mohammed. Source: LongIslandPress.com, 6/16/12; New York Post, 6/18/12

Date: 3/2012

Location: Jamaica, Queens, NY

Summary: On March 15, 2012, 30-year-old Shereese Francis died
after a confrontation with police. The incident began when Francis’ family
called for assistance to get her to the hospital. Francis, who wasn't taking
the medication prescribed for her schizophrenia, had become emotionally
distraught. Before an ambulance arrived, four police officers responded to the
call. They chased Francis through the house, ultimately cornering her in a
basement bedroom, forcing her face-down on the bed and applying pressure while
they cuffed her. Within 20 minutes of police arriving, Francis had stopped
breathing. A few hours later she was taken to Jamaica Hospital, where she was
pronounced dead. Subsequent History: On March 21, 2012, Francis’ family filed a
Freedom of Information request with the NYPD for relevant police records. The
police delayed and then denied the Francises’ subsequent appeal. In June, the
Francis family formally appealed the NYPD's Freedom of Information denial in
state court. The family accused police of excessive force and suffocating
Francis. Source: Gothamist.com, 4/3/12; Village Voice, 6/26/12

Date: 7/2012

Location: Jamaica, Queens, NY

Summary: On July 4, 2012, Edgar Owens stabbed MTA Police Officer
John Barnett in the eye. Barnett fatally shot Owens during the attack. Owens
had a history of violence and arrests dating back to 1991 and was classified as
an emotionally disturbed person. He had been sent to Rikers Island twice and
later to a state hospital. Source: New York Daily News, 7/6/12

Date: 7/2008

Location: Elbridge, Onondaga, NY

Summary: On July 20, 2008, Joseph Bisesi III, a seriously mentally
ill man, shot and killed his parents, JoEllen and Joseph Bisesi Jr. in their
Elbridge home. Shortly after state police discovered the victims' bodies on
July 22, Bisesi showed up at the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office in downtown
Syracuse to turn himself in. Bisesi immediately told authorities what he had
done, asking them to contact "military intelligence" for him. For the
next four and a half hours, Bisesi told authorities of killing the victims with
shots from a .22-caliber rifle and a 12-gauge shotgun and disposing of their
bodies in the septic tank, using a saw to dismember his father's remains.
Subsequent History: On November 24, 2008, Joseph Bisesi III, 27, stood in court
and admitted without any show of emotion that he shot and killed JoEllen and
Joseph Bisesi Jr. in their Elbridge home in July. To the outside world, they
were his parents. But in Bisesi's world, they were "Admiral Young"
and "Mrs. Kelly," a couple masquerading as his parents after his real
parents were murdered by organized crime when he was kidnapped as a child.
Doctors who examined Bisesi for the defense and prosecution agreed he was
acting under those delusions and that he was seriously mentally ill at the time
he killed his parents on July 20. Defense lawyer Randi Bianco said Bisesi still
believed that he was an undercover operative carrying out CIA orders to kill
the victims before they could kill him. He does not believe they were his
parents, she said. Bisesi faced the prospect of spending the rest of his life
in a state psychiatric facility after disposing of the murder case under the
state's insanity law. Bisesi pleaded "not responsible by reason of mental
disease or defect" to charges he murdered his parents by shooting them
multiple times and then disposing of their bodies in the septic tank at their
home. Onondaga County Judge Anthony Aloi ordered Bisesi placed in the custody
of the state Office of Mental Health for a psychiatric evaluation to determine
if he was still mentally ill and, if so, if he was dangerous, which could keep
Bisesi in the custody of mental health officials for the rest of his life with
periodic reviews by the court. Bianco said Bisesi was now likely to get the
help his parents had been trying unsuccessfully to get for him before they were
killed. Despite their son's increasingly paranoid behavior, his parents
apparently never feared for their lives, he said. The prosecutor, Chief
Assistant District Attorney Christine Garvey, told Aloi that Dr. Thomas Lazzaro,
a psychologist who examined Bisesi for the defense, had concluded Bisesi
suffered from a delusional disorder. Dr. James Knoll, a psychiatrist who
examined Bisesi for the prosecution, concluded he suffered from paranoid
schizophrenia, she said. Both doctors agreed Bisesi suffered from Capgras
syndrome, a somewhat rare psychiatric disorder in which the patient comes to
believe people close to him or her are imposters, the prosecutor told Aloi.
Garvey said the evidence indicated Bisesi clearly believed his parents were
imposters, that he was working as an undercover federal marshal to investigate
crime in the area and that he needed to kill the couple to get back his real
identity. Garvey also noted Bisesi's condition seemed to be linked to an
incident that occurred April 17, 2005, in which he was the innocent victim of
an assault during a bar fight in Baldwinsville. Bisesi suffered a head injury
and a shattered jaw when he was struck with a baton, the prosecutor said.
Shortly after that assault, according to Bisesi's family and friends, Bisesi
started having hallucinations, hearing voices and believing he had multiple
identities and a chip placed in his head by the FBI, Garvey told Aloi. Given
all of that evidence, the prosecution would not be able to overcome the
insanity defense, she admitted. Earlier this year, Bisesi started focusing more
on his delusion about the victims being imposters, but the parents never feared
he would harm them, Bianco said. One hour before Bisesi killed his parents, he
phoned a relative about having received two cell phone calls from the CIA
directing him to kill the couple before they killed him, Bianco said. Because
the family had gotten used to that being part of Bisesi's typical
"ramblings," the relative did not take the call seriously, the
defense lawyer said. Bisesi read from a prepared document. He told the judge
about the imposter parents and that he was acting under CIA orders to kill
them. He also said he had "interrogated" the couple and gotten them
to confess to being imposters shortly before he shot them. Source: Syracuse
Post Standard, 11/25/08

Date: 7/2008

Location: Elbridge, Onondaga, NY

Summary: On July 20, 2008, Joseph Bisesi III, a seriously mentally
ill man, shot and killed his parents, JoEllen and Joseph Bisesi Jr. in their
Elbridge home. Shortly after state police discovered the victims' bodies on
July 22, Bisesi showed up at the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office in downtown
Syracuse to turn himself in. Bisesi immediately told authorities what he had
done, asking them to contact "military intelligence" for him. For the
next four and a half hours, Bisesi told authorities of killing the victims with
shots from a .22-caliber rifle and a 12-gauge shotgun and disposing of their
bodies in the septic tank, using a saw to dismember his father's remains.
Subsequent History: On November 24, 2008, Joseph Bisesi III, 27, stood in court
and admitted without any show of emotion that he shot and killed JoEllen and
Joseph Bisesi Jr. in their Elbridge home in July. To the outside world, they
were his parents. But in Bisesi's world, they were "Admiral Young"
and "Mrs. Kelly," a couple masquerading as his parents after his real
parents were murdered by organized crime when he was kidnapped as a child.
Doctors who examined Bisesi for the defense and prosecution agreed he was
acting under those delusions and that he was seriously mentally ill at the time
he killed his parents on July 20. Defense lawyer Randi Bianco said Bisesi still
believed that he was an undercover operative carrying out CIA orders to kill
the victims before they could kill him. He does not believe they were his
parents, she said. Bisesi faced the prospect of spending the rest of his life
in a state psychiatric facility after disposing of the murder case under the
state's insanity law. Bisesi pleaded "not responsible by reason of mental
disease or defect" to charges he murdered his parents by shooting them
multiple times and then disposing of their bodies in the septic tank at their
home. Onondaga County Judge Anthony Aloi ordered Bisesi placed in the custody
of the state Office of Mental Health for a psychiatric evaluation to determine
if he was still mentally ill and, if so, if he was dangerous, which could keep
Bisesi in the custody of mental health officials for the rest of his life with
periodic reviews by the court. Bianco said Bisesi was now likely to get the
help his parents had been trying unsuccessfully to get for him before they were
killed. Despite their son's increasingly paranoid behavior, his parents apparently
never feared for their lives, he said. The prosecutor, Chief Assistant District
Attorney Christine Garvey, told Aloi that Dr. Thomas Lazzaro, a psychologist
who examined Bisesi for the defense, had concluded Bisesi suffered from a
delusional disorder. Dr. James Knoll, a psychiatrist who examined Bisesi for
the prosecution, concluded he suffered from paranoid schizophrenia, she said.
Both doctors agreed Bisesi suffered from Capgras syndrome, a somewhat rare
psychiatric disorder in which the patient comes to believe people close to him
or her are imposters, the prosecutor told Aloi. Garvey said the evidence
indicated Bisesi clearly believed his parents were imposters, that he was
working as an undercover federal marshal to investigate crime in the area and that
he needed to kill the couple to get back his real identity. Garvey also noted
Bisesi's condition seemed to be linked to an incident that occurred April 17,
2005, in which he was the innocent victim of an assault during a bar fight in
Baldwinsville. Bisesi suffered a head injury and a shattered jaw when he was
struck with a baton, the prosecutor said. Shortly after that assault, according
to Bisesi's family and friends, Bisesi started having hallucinations, hearing
voices and believing he had multiple identities and a chip placed in his head
by the FBI, Garvey told Aloi. Given all of that evidence, the prosecution would
not be able to overcome the insanity defense, she admitted. Earlier this year,
Bisesi started focusing more on his delusion about the victims being imposters,
but the parents never feared he would harm them, Bianco said. One hour before
Bisesi killed his parents, he phoned a relative about having received two cell
phone calls from the CIA directing him to kill the couple before they killed
him, Bianco said. Because the family had gotten used to that being part of
Bisesi's typical "ramblings," the relative did not take the call
seriously, the defense lawyer said. Bisesi read from a prepared document. He
told the judge about the imposter parents and that he was acting under CIA
orders to kill them. He also said he had "interrogated" the couple
and gotten them to confess to being imposters shortly before he shot them.
Source: Syracuse Post Standard, 11/25/08

Date: 0/2002

Location: Pleasantville, Westchester, NY

Summary: On January 14, 2009, 39-year-old Sheila Davalloo, already
doing 25 years in the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for trying to stab
her husband to death pleaded not guilty in the stabbing death of her former
co-worker, whom police described as her love rival. She was charged in November
with murder in the brutal stabbing death of her co-worker, Anna-Lisa Raymundo,
in 2002. The suspect and the victim were dating the same man. Davalloo did not
become a suspect in that slaying until after her conviction and sentencing in
2004 on an attempted murder charge. Davalloo twice stabbed her husband in the
chest in Pleasantville during a game in which they took turns blindfolding each
other. She drove her wounded husband, Paul Christos, to Westchester Medical
Center in Valhalla and stabbed him again after she parked. Davalloo has been
getting treatment in prison for bipolar disorder. Source: Lower Hudson Journal
News (NY), 1/15/09

Date: 1/2009

Location: Westmoreland, Oneida, NY

Summary: On January 19, 2009, Ryan Peeler, diagnosed with paranoid
schizophrenia, allegedly beat his mother, Rhonda M. DuPont, 51, to death in his
room at the Gallopin' Acres Motel in Westmoreland. The deadly attack erupted
shortly after DuPont and her fiancé, William Griffith, 60, stopped by her son’s
apartment to bring him food. Moments after Griffith broke into Peeler’s
apartment and witnessed the tail end of the beating, he went to the motel
office to contact authorities. Peeler then came out of his apartment and asked
a nearby neighbor for a ride to Oneida. A long the way, however, Peeler asked
to be dropped off on Main Street in the city of Sherrill, investigators said.
After Peeler exited the vehicle, the neighbor drove to the Sherrill Police
Department, and police from multiple agencies spent about two hours searching
for Peeler. Peeler eventually was taken into custody shortly before 9 p.m. when
sheriff’s Deputy Mark Ammann saw him walking down Park Avenue in Sherrill. He
was questioned by sheriff’s investigators and charged with felony second-degree
assault because his mother still was alive at that point. Once DuPont’s brain
activity ceased the next morning, Peeler was charged with murder. Prior
History: According to Griffith’s statement to sheriff’s investigators, Peeler,
27, had become more violent and erratic as his mental state deteriorated late
last year. Roughly three or four years ago, Peeler was hospitalized at
Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare for mental issues, Griffith said. Peeler was then
hospitalized at St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Utica as more incidents
followed. That’s when Peeler was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.
Subsequent History: On January 20, 2009, Ryan Peeler was arraigned on a
second-degree murder charge. Because Peeler appeared to have a history of
mental illness, Village Court Justice Christopher Clarkin ordered Peeler to
undergo a psychiatric examination before he returned to court. He was taken to
Oneida County jail, where he remained without bail. Subseqent History: On February
12, 2009, Ryan Peeler was transferred to a downstate mental hospital after a
judge ruled he does not understand the charges he faces. Peeler, who faces a
second-degree murder charge in the January 19 beating death of his mother,
Rhonda DuPont, 51, was taken to Mid-Hudson Psychiatric Facility in New Hampton,
70 miles north of New York City, said Frank Nebush Jr., chief public defender
in Oneida County. Village of Oriskany Court Justice Christopher Clarkin issued
a temporary commitment order last week directing that Peeler be taken to the
facility from Oneida County jail, Oneida County First District Attorney Michael
Coluzza said. Two psychiatrists separately interviewed Peeler at the jail,
where he's been on a 24-hour suicide watch. Their evaluation focused only on
whether Peeler understands the nature of the charges he faces and whether he
can assist his attorney in preparing his defense. The psychiatrists' report to
Clarkin did not address Peeler's mental state at the time he is alleged to have
killed DuPont. Peeler will be treated at the psychiatric facility and will
return to Oneida County Court to face the criminal charges if new tests
determine he is competent. At the time of the killing, Peeler had been
diagnosed with schizophrenia and had been living at a Westmoreland motel,
police and relatives have said. The night she was slain, DuPont had gone to
Peeler's motel room to deliver dinner. Peeler attacked DuPont because he
believed that her feet were sucking oxygen from the room, Nebush said. Source:
Utica Observer Dispatch, 1/20/09, 1/22/09, 1/26/09, 2/18/09, 2/24/09, 5/22/09;
Syracuse Post Standard, 1/21/09

Date: 5/2008

Location: Rochester, Monroe, NY

Summary: On May 1, 2008, John W. Sterling III stabbed a policeman
in the arm who was responding to a 9-11 call from Sterling’s mother. Officer
Robert Osipovitch was stabbed after Rural/Metro personnel and police went to
Sterling's home on a call that Sterling, who lived there with his mother, was
having severe emotional problems. Sterling argued with police officers and
emergency medical technicians and refused to remove his right hand from his
pocket. When Sterling walked at Osipovitch and refused to stop, Osipovitch used
pepper spray to subdue him. Sterling pulled out a knife, rushed at Osipovitch
and stabbed him, police said. Police said Osipovitch was spared further wounds
by his bulletproof vest and actions by EMT Brandon McCaughey, who pulled the
knife from Sterling's hand as Sterling and Osipovitch scuffled. Subsequent
History: On February 5, 2009, Judge Richard A. Keenan ordered John W. Sterling
III to prison for the maximum term of seven years for second-degree assault for
stabbing Officer Robert Osipovitch in the arm. After the mother of John W.
Sterling III called 911 for help with her agitated son, who had a history of
schizophrenia, police failed to send a team that deals with the mentally ill
and had been to Sterling's home previously, said Assistant Public Defender
Joshua Stubbe. Stubbe said Osipovitch hastily entered Sterling's home without talking
to a Rural/Metro Medical Service team that had called for police help in
calming Sterling. On the other hand, Keenan blamed Sterling for creating the
dangerous situation. The courtroom was packed with about 75 colleagues of
Osipovitch. So many police officers attended that the judge moved the
proceeding to a larger courtroom to accommodate the crowd. Before sentence was
imposed, Sterling apologized for the stabbing and said he had not been taking
medication for his illness. Prior History: During a trial in December, jurors
acquitted Sterling, 29, of attempted aggravated murder of a police officer but
convicted him of two counts of second-degree assault. Although the jury
couldn't decide on a charge of attempted aggravated assault on a police officer,
he'll be retried on that charge in June and could receive a prison term of 20
years, said Assistant District Attorney Matthew Schwartz. Source: Rochester
Democrat and Chronicle. 2/6/09

Date: 2/2009

Location: East Harlem, New York, NY

Summary: On February 16, 2009, 14-month-old Heshesh Brent was
reunited with his mother after he had been missing for nearly 24 hours from his
mother's East Harlem apartment. A few hours later, after being questioned by
detectives, 18-year-old Niasia Hicks was led away from the 25th precinct in
handcuffs. She faces charges of kidnapping and endangering the welfare of a
child. Hicks had asked to watch the 14-month-old baby, according to his
grandmother, Yaya Brent. Hicks' mother told NY1 that the 18-year-old suffers
from schizophrenia and had been off her medications for the last six months.
She also said Hicks, who is pregnant, loves kids and would never hurt one. She
says her daughter lost track of how late it had gotten and unknowingly created
a crisis. Both families tell NY1 that Hicks had watched Brents' children on
several occasions. The Hicks family says this was all a mistake and that Niasia
"needs to be in the hospital, not central booking." Source: NY1.com,
2/17/09

Date: 1/2009

Location: Rochester, Monroe, NY

Summary: On January 31, 2009, 14 year-old Tyquan Rivera allegedly
shot Officer Anthony DiPonzio in the back of the head on Dayton Street.
DiPonzio had brain surgery and faces a long recovery. Tyquan Rivera's mother
said her son is not a "monster" and does not have a violent history.
Wanda Lise wiped away tears inside the courtroom where Tyquan Rivera was
arraigned on attempted murder and assault charges. He pleaded not guilty and
will be held at a youth detention facility without bail. Tyquan turns 15 years
old on February 18. Prior History: Wanda Lise said Tyquan was severely burned
when he was 5 years old. Calling the injury "traumatic," Lise said he
had skin grafts on his arm and hand. Lise said a doctor diagnosed Tyquan as
being bipolar, but he would not take medication. Lise said she filed a Person
in Need of Supervision (PINS) petition on her son, a form of youth probation.
She said Tyquan spent about a year at St. Joseph’s Villa, a facility for
troubled youths, before running away. Tyquan’s mother said he does not have a
violent history. She said Tyquan did not know police were searching for him for
several days before he turned himself in. She does not believe he is guilty.
Source: 13WHAM.com, 2/18/09

Date: 10/2008

Location: White Plains, Westchester, NY

Summary: On October 19, 2008, 37-year-old Sheldene Campbell
intentionally drove her vehicle into 65-year-old Marie Bucci killing the older
woman. Moments earlier, Campbell had struck 45-year-old Roseanne Schiavone who
was walking her dog on the same road, injuring Schiavone and her pet. Campbell
sped off after hitting the women. When Campbell was taken into custody, she
told police that her brother and father had been in the car and that she had
not been driving. Later, she told detectives that she'd lied to police on the
street and that she had been driving and hit two people. Campbell told a
detective that she had suffered a nervous breakdown and a miscarriage. Prior
History: Two weeks before her arrest in White Plains, Campbell spent a week
under observation in a New Jersey hospital after she was arrested by Woodcliff
Lakes, NJ police. In that incident, she drove onto a lawn, almost hitting a
jogger, and assaulted a police officer while her 3-year-old daughter sat in the
car without a seat belt. The incident began when she left her 10-year-old son
in a McDonald's restaurant. Even though she saw him go into the restaurant, she
became convinced that he had been kidnapped, pushed her mother out of the car,
and drove off to find him. She and was found on the Garden State Parkway,
"babbling incoherently" with her 3-year-old daughter in the back
seat. Campbell's lawyer said that in the weeks between her arrests in New
Jersey and White Plains, she began hearing voices and having religious
hallucinations but refused to take psychiatric medication because she was in
denial about her illness. Subsequent History: On March 6, 2009, a Westchester
grand jury indicted Campbell with felony counts of second-degree murder and
attempted murder, first-degree attempted assault and leaving the scene, and
misdemeanor charges of leaving the scene and third-degree assault. Campbell’s
attorney said she had been at the county jail since her arrest and was being
medicated and treated for catatonic schizophrenia. Subsequent History: On December
19, 2011, the 40-year-old Campbell was found guilty of murder and all other
charges brought against her for her 2008 driving rampage. Source: Lower Hudson
Journal News, 3/7/09, 3/12/09, 7/30/09; LoHud.com, 11/29/11, 12/20/11

Date: 10/2008

Location: White Plains, Westchester, NY

Summary: On October 19, 2008, 37-year-old Sheldene Campbell
intentionally drove her vehicle into 65-year-old Marie Bucci killing the older
woman. Moments earlier, Campbell had struck 45-year-old Roseanne Schiavone who
was walking her dog on the same road, injuring Schiavone and her pet. Campbell
sped off after hitting the women. When Campbell was taken into custody, she
told police that her brother and father had been in the car and that she had
not been driving. Later, she told detectives that she'd lied to police on the
street and that she had been driving and hit two people. Campbell told a
detective that she had suffered a nervous breakdown and a miscarriage. Prior
History: Two weeks before her arrest in White Plains, Campbell spent a week
under observation in a New Jersey hospital after she was arrested by Woodcliff
Lakes, NJ police. In that incident, she drove onto a lawn, almost hitting a
jogger, and assaulted a police officer while her 3-year-old daughter sat in the
car without a seat belt. The incident began when she left her 10-year-old son
in a McDonald's restaurant. Even though she saw him go into the restaurant, she
became convinced that he had been kidnapped, pushed her mother out of the car,
and drove off to find him. She and was found on the Garden State Parkway,
"babbling incoherently" with her 3-year-old daughter in the back
seat. Campbell's lawyer said that in the weeks between her arrests in New
Jersey and White Plains, she began hearing voices and having religious
hallucinations but refused to take psychiatric medication because she was in
denial about her illness. Subsequent History: On March 6, 2009, a Westchester
grand jury indicted Campbell with felony counts of second-degree murder and
attempted murder, first-degree attempted assault and leaving the scene, and
misdemeanor charges of leaving the scene and third-degree assault. Campbell’s
attorney said she had been at the county jail since her arrest and was being
medicated and treated for catatonic schizophrenia. Subsequent History: On
December 19, 2011, the 40-year-old Campbell was found guilty of murder and all
other charges brought against her for her 2008 driving rampage. Source: Lower
Hudson Journal News, 3/7/09, 3/12/09, 7/30/09; LoHud.com, 11/29/11, 12/20/11

Date: 4/2009

Location: Manhattan, New York, NY

Summary: On April 27, 2009, Ex-Nets star Jayson Williams became
'suicidal' at Manhattan hotel and was tasered by NYPD police. When police
arrived at the hotel, they found a suicidal and violent Williams along with
empty bottles of two psychiatric drugs that could have exacerbated his mental
illness if taken together. Two sources said the ex-NBA star had bottles for
Celexa, an anti-depressant, and lithium, used for manic-depression - along with
the sleeping pill Ambien, human growth hormone and two other drugs. Williams,
41, was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in the runup to his 2004 trial for
fatally shooting his chauffeur. It's unclear how many pills he took before the
incident at the Hilton Embassy Suites in Battery Park City. But doctors at St.
Vincent's Hospital Manhattan - where he was recovering - told relatives a
combination of Celexa and lithium could have made the former Net's mood swings
turn frighteningly violent. While recovering at St. Vincent's, Williams was put
on the mood stabilizer Depakote, which is used to get bipolar patients out of
the manic phase of their illness. Source: New York Daily News, 4/29/09

Date: 4/2009

Location: Binghamton, Broome, NY

Summary: On April 3, 2009, Jiverly Wong barricaded the back door
of a community center with his car and then opened fire on a room full of
immigrants taking a citizenship class, killing 13 people before committing
suicide, officials said. The attack came just after 10 a.m. at the American Civic
Association, an organization that helps immigrants settle in this country.
Police Chief Joseph Zikuski said Wong parked his car against the back door,
"making sure nobody could escape," then stormed through the front,
shooting two receptionists, apparently without a word. He then calmly walked in
the front door with two handguns. Sources say he was carrying a satchel with
extra ammo, a large knife, a flashlight and what appeared to be survival gear -
a sign that he was prepared for a standoff. One receptionist was killed, while
the other, shot in the abdomen, pretended to be dead and then crawled under a
desk and called 911, Police Chief Joseph Zikuski said. The rest of those killed
were shot in the classroom. Four people were critically wounded. Wong was found
dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound in an office, a satchel containing
ammunition slung around his neck, authorities said. Police found two handguns
— a 9 mm and a .45-caliber — and a hunting knife. Thirty-seven
people in all made it out of the building, including 26 who hid in the boiler
room in the basement, cowering there for three hours while police methodically
searched the building and tried to determine whether the gunman was still alive
and whether he was holding any hostages, Zikuski said. On the day of the
killings, Wong mailed a letter to a Binghamton TV station, along with his
driver's license, gun permit, and photos of him posing with pistols. The letter
unleashes a slew of bizarre, paranoid accusations against police officers whom
Wong, 41, believed were persecuting him, repeatedly saying breaking into his
room, stealing from him, causing him to lose his job and trying to stage a car
accident with him. The missive, whose claims are unsupported by any publicly
known facts, suggests Wong was deranged. It already was known the Vietnam-born
Chinese loner, who lost his $8 an hour vacuum cleaner factory job in November,
was deeply frustrated with his lack of English skills and obsessed with
acquiring a gun before he went on his shooting rampage. "The letter sounds
bizarre and has tones of persecution. And in his internal world, this violence
might have been some sort of retaliation," said Dr. Vatsal Thakkar,
clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at NYU's Langone Medical Center.
"Put these actions and the theme of the letter all together, and it could
point to major mental illness, quite possibly paranoid schizophrenia."
Wong's sister told NBC's "Today" show that she could "see that
he was very depressed from losing his job, and he was very frustrated with his
English-speaking skills." Source: KDA2, 4/3/09; New York Post, 4/6/09

Date: 4/2009

Location: Binghamton, Broome, NY

Summary: On April 3, 2009, Jiverly Wong barricaded the back door
of a community center with his car and then opened fire on a room full of
immigrants taking a citizenship class, killing 13 people before committing
suicide, officials said. The attack came just after 10 a.m. at the American
Civic Association, an organization that helps immigrants settle in this country.
Police Chief Joseph Zikuski said Wong parked his car against the back door,
"making sure nobody could escape," then stormed through the front,
shooting two receptionists, apparently without a word. He then calmly walked in
the front door with two handguns. Sources say he was carrying a satchel with
extra ammo, a large knife, a flashlight and what appeared to be survival gear -
a sign that he was prepared for a standoff. One receptionist was killed, while
the other, shot in the abdomen, pretended to be dead and then crawled under a
desk and called 911, Police Chief Joseph Zikuski said. The rest of those killed
were shot in the classroom. Four people were critically wounded. Wong was found
dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound in an office, a satchel containing
ammunition slung around his neck, authorities said. Police found two handguns
— a 9 mm and a .45-caliber — and a hunting knife. Thirty-seven
people in all made it out of the building, including 26 who hid in the boiler
room in the basement, cowering there for three hours while police methodically
searched the building and tried to determine whether the gunman was still alive
and whether he was holding any hostages, Zikuski said. On the day of the
killings, Wong mailed a letter to a Binghamton TV station, along with his
driver's license, gun permit, and photos of him posing with pistols. The letter
unleashes a slew of bizarre, paranoid accusations against police officers whom
Wong, 41, believed were persecuting him, repeatedly saying breaking into his room,
stealing from him, causing him to lose his job and trying to stage a car
accident with him. The missive, whose claims are unsupported by any publicly
known facts, suggests Wong was deranged. It already was known the Vietnam-born
Chinese loner, who lost his $8 an hour vacuum cleaner factory job in November,
was deeply frustrated with his lack of English skills and obsessed with
acquiring a gun before he went on his shooting rampage. "The letter sounds
bizarre and has tones of persecution. And in his internal world, this violence
might have been some sort of retaliation," said Dr. Vatsal Thakkar,
clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at NYU's Langone Medical Center.
"Put these actions and the theme of the letter all together, and it could point
to major mental illness, quite possibly paranoid schizophrenia." Wong's
sister told NBC's "Today" show that she could "see that he was
very depressed from losing his job, and he was very frustrated with his
English-speaking skills." Source: KDA2, 4/3/09; New York Post, 4/6/09

Date: 4/2009

Location: Binghamton, Broome, NY

Summary: On April 3, 2009, Jiverly Wong barricaded the back door
of a community center with his car and then opened fire on a room full of
immigrants taking a citizenship class, killing 13 people before committing
suicide, officials said. The attack came just after 10 a.m. at the American
Civic Association, an organization that helps immigrants settle in this
country. Police Chief Joseph Zikuski said Wong parked his car against the back
door, "making sure nobody could escape," then stormed through the
front, shooting two receptionists, apparently without a word. He then calmly
walked in the front door with two handguns. Sources say he was carrying a
satchel with extra ammo, a large knife, a flashlight and what appeared to be
survival gear - a sign that he was prepared for a standoff. One receptionist
was killed, while the other, shot in the abdomen, pretended to be dead and then
crawled under a desk and called 911, Police Chief Joseph Zikuski said. The rest
of those killed were shot in the classroom. Four people were critically
wounded. Wong was found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound in an office,
a satchel containing ammunition slung around his neck, authorities said. Police
found two handguns — a 9 mm and a .45-caliber — and a hunting
knife. Thirty-seven people in all made it out of the building, including 26 who
hid in the boiler room in the basement, cowering there for three hours while
police methodically searched the building and tried to determine whether the
gunman was still alive and whether he was holding any hostages, Zikuski said.
On the day of the killings, Wong mailed a letter to a Binghamton TV station,
along with his driver's license, gun permit, and photos of him posing with pistols.
The letter unleashes a slew of bizarre, paranoid accusations against police
officers whom Wong, 41, believed were persecuting him, repeatedly saying
breaking into his room, stealing from him, causing him to lose his job and
trying to stage a car accident with him. The missive, whose claims are
unsupported by any publicly known facts, suggests Wong was deranged. It already
was known the Vietnam-born Chinese loner, who lost his $8 an hour vacuum
cleaner factory job in November, was deeply frustrated with his lack of English
skills and obsessed with acquiring a gun before he went on his shooting
rampage. "The letter sounds bizarre and has tones of persecution. And in
his internal world, this violence might have been some sort of retaliation,"
said Dr. Vatsal Thakkar, clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at NYU's
Langone Medical Center. "Put these actions and the theme of the letter all
together, and it could point to major mental illness, quite possibly paranoid
schizophrenia." Wong's sister told NBC's "Today" show that she
could "see that he was very depressed from losing his job, and he was very
frustrated with his English-speaking skills." Source: KDA2, 4/3/09; New
York Post, 4/6/09

Date: 4/2009

Location: Binghamton, Broome, NY

Summary: On April 3, 2009, Jiverly Wong barricaded the back door
of a community center with his car and then opened fire on a room full of
immigrants taking a citizenship class, killing 13 people before committing
suicide, officials said. The attack came just after 10 a.m. at the American
Civic Association, an organization that helps immigrants settle in this
country. Police Chief Joseph Zikuski said Wong parked his car against the back
door, "making sure nobody could escape," then stormed through the
front, shooting two receptionists, apparently without a word. He then calmly
walked in the front door with two handguns. Sources say he was carrying a
satchel with extra ammo, a large knife, a flashlight and what appeared to be
survival gear - a sign that he was prepared for a standoff. One receptionist
was killed, while the other, shot in the abdomen, pretended to be dead and then
crawled under a desk and called 911, Police Chief Joseph Zikuski said. The rest
of those killed were shot in the classroom. Four people were critically
wounded. Wong was found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound in an office,
a satchel containing ammunition slung around his neck, authorities said. Police
found two handguns — a 9 mm and a .45-caliber — and a hunting
knife. Thirty-seven people in all made it out of the building, including 26 who
hid in the boiler room in the basement, cowering there for three hours while
police methodically searched the building and tried to determine whether the
gunman was still alive and whether he was holding any hostages, Zikuski said.
On the day of the killings, Wong mailed a letter to a Binghamton TV station,
along with his driver's license, gun permit, and photos of him posing with
pistols. The letter unleashes a slew of bizarre, paranoid accusations against police
officers whom Wong, 41, believed were persecuting him, repeatedly saying
breaking into his room, stealing from him, causing him to lose his job and
trying to stage a car accident with him. The missive, whose claims are
unsupported by any publicly known facts, suggests Wong was deranged. It already
was known the Vietnam-born Chinese loner, who lost his $8 an hour vacuum
cleaner factory job in November, was deeply frustrated with his lack of English
skills and obsessed with acquiring a gun before he went on his shooting
rampage. "The letter sounds bizarre and has tones of persecution. And in
his internal world, this violence might have been some sort of
retaliation," said Dr. Vatsal Thakkar, clinical assistant professor of
psychiatry at NYU's Langone Medical Center. "Put these actions and the
theme of the letter all together, and it could point to major mental illness,
quite possibly paranoid schizophrenia." Wong's sister told NBC's
"Today" show that she could "see that he was very depressed from
losing his job, and he was very frustrated with his English-speaking
skills." Source: KDA2, 4/3/09; New York Post, 4/6/09

Date: 4/2009

Location: Binghamton, Broome, NY

Summary: On April 3, 2009, Jiverly Wong barricaded the back door
of a community center with his car and then opened fire on a room full of
immigrants taking a citizenship class, killing 13 people before committing
suicide, officials said. The attack came just after 10 a.m. at the American
Civic Association, an organization that helps immigrants settle in this
country. Police Chief Joseph Zikuski said Wong parked his car against the back
door, "making sure nobody could escape," then stormed through the
front, shooting two receptionists, apparently without a word. He then calmly
walked in the front door with two handguns. Sources say he was carrying a
satchel with extra ammo, a large knife, a flashlight and what appeared to be
survival gear - a sign that he was prepared for a standoff. One receptionist
was killed, while the other, shot in the abdomen, pretended to be dead and then
crawled under a desk and called 911, Police Chief Joseph Zikuski said. The rest
of those killed were shot in the classroom. Four people were critically
wounded. Wong was found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound in an office,
a satchel containing ammunition slung around his neck, authorities said. Police
found two handguns — a 9 mm and a .45-caliber — and a hunting
knife. Thirty-seven people in all made it out of the building, including 26 who
hid in the boiler room in the basement, cowering there for three hours while
police methodically searched the building and tried to determine whether the
gunman was still alive and whether he was holding any hostages, Zikuski said.
On the day of the killings, Wong mailed a letter to a Binghamton TV station,
along with his driver's license, gun permit, and photos of him posing with
pistols. The letter unleashes a slew of bizarre, paranoid accusations against
police officers whom Wong, 41, believed were persecuting him, repeatedly saying
breaking into his room, stealing from him, causing him to lose his job and
trying to stage a car accident with him. The missive, whose claims are
unsupported by any publicly known facts, suggests Wong was deranged. It already
was known the Vietnam-born Chinese loner, who lost his $8 an hour vacuum
cleaner factory job in November, was deeply frustrated with his lack of English
skills and obsessed with acquiring a gun before he went on his shooting
rampage. "The letter sounds bizarre and has tones of persecution. And in
his internal world, this violence might have been some sort of
retaliation," said Dr. Vatsal Thakkar, clinical assistant professor of
psychiatry at NYU's Langone Medical Center. "Put these actions and the
theme of the letter all together, and it could point to major mental illness,
quite possibly paranoid schizophrenia." Wong's sister told NBC's
"Today" show that she could "see that he was very depressed from
losing his job, and he was very frustrated with his English-speaking
skills." Source: KDA2, 4/3/09; New York Post, 4/6/09

Date: 4/2009

Location: Binghamton, Broome, NY

Summary: On April 3, 2009, Jiverly Wong barricaded the back door
of a community center with his car and then opened fire on a room full of
immigrants taking a citizenship class, killing 13 people before committing
suicide, officials said. The attack came just after 10 a.m. at the American
Civic Association, an organization that helps immigrants settle in this
country. Police Chief Joseph Zikuski said Wong parked his car against the back
door, "making sure nobody could escape," then stormed through the
front, shooting two receptionists, apparently without a word. He then calmly
walked in the front door with two handguns. Sources say he was carrying a
satchel with extra ammo, a large knife, a flashlight and what appeared to be
survival gear - a sign that he was prepared for a standoff. One receptionist
was killed, while the other, shot in the abdomen, pretended to be dead and then
crawled under a desk and called 911, Police Chief Joseph Zikuski said. The rest
of those killed were shot in the classroom. Four people were critically
wounded. Wong was found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound in an office,
a satchel containing ammunition slung around his neck, authorities said. Police
found two handguns — a 9 mm and a .45-caliber — and a hunting
knife. Thirty-seven people in all made it out of the building, including 26 who
hid in the boiler room in the basement, cowering there for three hours while
police methodically searched the building and tried to determine whether the
gunman was still alive and whether he was holding any hostages, Zikuski said.
On the day of the killings, Wong mailed a letter to a Binghamton TV station,
along with his driver's license, gun permit, and photos of him posing with
pistols. The letter unleashes a slew of bizarre, paranoid accusations against
police officers whom Wong, 41, believed were persecuting him, repeatedly saying
breaking into his room, stealing from him, causing him to lose his job and trying
to stage a car accident with him. The missive, whose claims are unsupported by
any publicly known facts, suggests Wong was deranged. It already was known the
Vietnam-born Chinese loner, who lost his $8 an hour vacuum cleaner factory job
in November, was deeply frustrated with his lack of English skills and obsessed
with acquiring a gun before he went on his shooting rampage. "The letter
sounds bizarre and has tones of persecution. And in his internal world, this
violence might have been some sort of retaliation," said Dr. Vatsal
Thakkar, clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at NYU's Langone Medical
Center. "Put these actions and the theme of the letter all together, and
it could point to major mental illness, quite possibly paranoid schizophrenia."
Wong's sister told NBC's "Today" show that she could "see that
he was very depressed from losing his job, and he was very frustrated with his
English-speaking skills." Source: KDA2, 4/3/09; New York Post, 4/6/09

Date: 4/2009

Location: Binghamton, Broome, NY

Summary: On April 3, 2009, Jiverly Wong barricaded the back door
of a community center with his car and then opened fire on a room full of
immigrants taking a citizenship class, killing 13 people before committing
suicide, officials said. The attack came just after 10 a.m. at the American
Civic Association, an organization that helps immigrants settle in this
country. Police Chief Joseph Zikuski said Wong parked his car against the back
door, "making sure nobody could escape," then stormed through the
front, shooting two receptionists, apparently without a word. He then calmly
walked in the front door with two handguns. Sources say he was carrying a
satchel with extra ammo, a large knife, a flashlight and what appeared to be
survival gear - a sign that he was prepared for a standoff. One receptionist
was killed, while the other, shot in the abdomen, pretended to be dead and then
crawled under a desk and called 911, Police Chief Joseph Zikuski said. The rest
of those killed were shot in the classroom. Four people were critically
wounded. Wong was found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound in an office,
a satchel containing ammunition slung around his neck, authorities said. Police
found two handguns — a 9 mm and a .45-caliber — and a hunting
knife. Thirty-seven people in all made it out of the building, including 26 who
hid in the boiler room in the basement, cowering there for three hours while
police methodically searched the building and tried to determine whether the
gunman was still alive and whether he was holding any hostages, Zikuski said.
On the day of the killings, Wong mailed a letter to a Binghamton TV station,
along with his driver's license, gun permit, and photos of him posing with
pistols. The letter unleashes a slew of bizarre, paranoid accusations against
police officers whom Wong, 41, believed were persecuting him, repeatedly saying
breaking into his room, stealing from him, causing him to lose his job and
trying to stage a car accident with him. The missive, whose claims are unsupported
by any publicly known facts, suggests Wong was deranged. It already was known
the Vietnam-born Chinese loner, who lost his $8 an hour vacuum cleaner factory
job in November, was deeply frustrated with his lack of English skills and
obsessed with acquiring a gun before he went on his shooting rampage. "The
letter sounds bizarre and has tones of persecution. And in his internal world,
this violence might have been some sort of retaliation," said Dr. Vatsal
Thakkar, clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at NYU's Langone Medical
Center. "Put these actions and the theme of the letter all together, and
it could point to major mental illness, quite possibly paranoid
schizophrenia." Wong's sister told NBC's "Today" show that she
could "see that he was very depressed from losing his job, and he was very
frustrated with his English-speaking skills." Source: KDA2, 4/3/09; New
York Post, 4/6/09

Date: 4/2009

Location: Binghamton, Broome, NY

Summary: On April 3, 2009, Jiverly Wong barricaded the back door
of a community center with his car and then opened fire on a room full of
immigrants taking a citizenship class, killing 13 people before committing
suicide, officials said. The attack came just after 10 a.m. at the American
Civic Association, an organization that helps immigrants settle in this
country. Police Chief Joseph Zikuski said Wong parked his car against the back
door, "making sure nobody could escape," then stormed through the
front, shooting two receptionists, apparently without a word. He then calmly
walked in the front door with two handguns. Sources say he was carrying a
satchel with extra ammo, a large knife, a flashlight and what appeared to be
survival gear - a sign that he was prepared for a standoff. One receptionist
was killed, while the other, shot in the abdomen, pretended to be dead and then
crawled under a desk and called 911, Police Chief Joseph Zikuski said. The rest
of those killed were shot in the classroom. Four people were critically
wounded. Wong was found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound in an office,
a satchel containing ammunition slung around his neck, authorities said. Police
found two handguns — a 9 mm and a .45-caliber — and a hunting
knife. Thirty-seven people in all made it out of the building, including 26 who
hid in the boiler room in the basement, cowering there for three hours while
police methodically searched the building and tried to determine whether the
gunman was still alive and whether he was holding any hostages, Zikuski said.
On the day of the killings, Wong mailed a letter to a Binghamton TV station,
along with his driver's license, gun permit, and photos of him posing with
pistols. The letter unleashes a slew of bizarre, paranoid accusations against
police officers whom Wong, 41, believed were persecuting him, repeatedly saying
breaking into his room, stealing from him, causing him to lose his job and
trying to stage a car accident with him. The missive, whose claims are
unsupported by any publicly known facts, suggests Wong was deranged. It already
was known the Vietnam-born Chinese loner, who lost his $8 an hour vacuum
cleaner factory job in November, was deeply frustrated with his lack of English
skills and obsessed with acquiring a gun before he went on his shooting
rampage. "The letter sounds bizarre and has tones of persecution. And in
his internal world, this violence might have been some sort of
retaliation," said Dr. Vatsal Thakkar, clinical assistant professor of
psychiatry at NYU's Langone Medical Center. "Put these actions and the theme
of the letter all together, and it could point to major mental illness, quite
possibly paranoid schizophrenia." Wong's sister told NBC's
"Today" show that she could "see that he was very depressed from
losing his job, and he was very frustrated with his English-speaking
skills." Source: KDA2, 4/3/09; New York Post, 4/6/09

Date: 4/2009

Location: Binghamton, Broome, NY

Summary: On April 3, 2009, Jiverly Wong barricaded the back door
of a community center with his car and then opened fire on a room full of
immigrants taking a citizenship class, killing 13 people before committing
suicide, officials said. The attack came just after 10 a.m. at the American
Civic Association, an organization that helps immigrants settle in this
country. Police Chief Joseph Zikuski said Wong parked his car against the back
door, "making sure nobody could escape," then stormed through the
front, shooting two receptionists, apparently without a word. He then calmly
walked in the front door with two handguns. Sources say he was carrying a satchel
with extra ammo, a large knife, a flashlight and what appeared to be survival
gear - a sign that he was prepared for a standoff. One receptionist was killed,
while the other, shot in the abdomen, pretended to be dead and then crawled
under a desk and called 911, Police Chief Joseph Zikuski said. The rest of
those killed were shot in the classroom. Four people were critically wounded.
Wong was found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound in an office, a satchel
containing ammunition slung around his neck, authorities said. Police found two
handguns — a 9 mm and a .45-caliber — and a hunting knife.
Thirty-seven people in all made it out of the building, including 26 who hid in
the boiler room in the basement, cowering there for three hours while police methodically
searched the building and tried to determine whether the gunman was still alive
and whether he was holding any hostages, Zikuski said. On the day of the
killings, Wong mailed a letter to a Binghamton TV station, along with his
driver's license, gun permit, and photos of him posing with pistols. The letter
unleashes a slew of bizarre, paranoid accusations against police officers whom
Wong, 41, believed were persecuting him, repeatedly saying breaking into his
room, stealing from him, causing him to lose his job and trying to stage a car
accident with him. The missive, whose claims are unsupported by any publicly
known facts, suggests Wong was deranged. It already was known the Vietnam-born
Chinese loner, who lost his $8 an hour vacuum cleaner factory job in November,
was deeply frustrated with his lack of English skills and obsessed with
acquiring a gun before he went on his shooting rampage. "The letter sounds
bizarre and has tones of persecution. And in his internal world, this violence
might have been some sort of retaliation," said Dr. Vatsal Thakkar,
clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at NYU's Langone Medical Center.
"Put these actions and the theme of the letter all together, and it could
point to major mental illness, quite possibly paranoid schizophrenia."
Wong's sister told NBC's "Today" show that she could "see that
he was very depressed from losing his job, and he was very frustrated with his
English-speaking skills." Source: KDA2, 4/3/09; New York Post, 4/6/09

Date: 4/2009

Location: Binghamton, Broome, NY

Summary: On April 3, 2009, Jiverly Wong barricaded the back door
of a community center with his car and then opened fire on a room full of
immigrants taking a citizenship class, killing 13 people before committing
suicide, officials said. The attack came just after 10 a.m. at the American
Civic Association, an organization that helps immigrants settle in this
country. Police Chief Joseph Zikuski said Wong parked his car against the back
door, "making sure nobody could escape," then stormed through the
front, shooting two receptionists, apparently without a word. He then calmly
walked in the front door with two handguns. Sources say he was carrying a
satchel with extra ammo, a large knife, a flashlight and what appeared to be survival
gear - a sign that he was prepared for a standoff. One receptionist was killed,
while the other, shot in the abdomen, pretended to be dead and then crawled
under a desk and called 911, Police Chief Joseph Zikuski said. The rest of
those killed were shot in the classroom. Four people were critically wounded.
Wong was found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound in an office, a satchel
containing ammunition slung around his neck, authorities said. Police found two
handguns — a 9 mm and a .45-caliber — and a hunting knife.
Thirty-seven people in all made it out of the building, including 26 who hid in
the boiler room in the basement, cowering there for three hours while police
methodically searched the building and tried to determine whether the gunman was
still alive and whether he was holding any hostages, Zikuski said. On the day
of the killings, Wong mailed a letter to a Binghamton TV station, along with
his driver's license, gun permit, and photos of him posing with pistols. The
letter unleashes a slew of bizarre, paranoid accusations against police
officers whom Wong, 41, believed were persecuting him, repeatedly saying
breaking into his room, stealing from him, causing him to lose his job and
trying to stage a car accident with him. The missive, whose claims are
unsupported by any publicly known facts, suggests Wong was deranged. It already
was known the Vietnam-born Chinese loner, who lost his $8 an hour vacuum
cleaner factory job in November, was deeply frustrated with his lack of English
skills and obsessed with acquiring a gun before he went on his shooting
rampage. "The letter sounds bizarre and has tones of persecution. And in
his internal world, this violence might have been some sort of
retaliation," said Dr. Vatsal Thakkar, clinical assistant professor of
psychiatry at NYU's Langone Medical Center. "Put these actions and the
theme of the letter all together, and it could point to major mental illness,
quite possibly paranoid schizophrenia." Wong's sister told NBC's
"Today" show that she could "see that he was very depressed from
losing his job, and he was very frustrated with his English-speaking
skills." Source: KDA2, 4/3/09; New York Post, 4/6/09

Date: 4/2009

Location: Binghamton, Broome, NY

Summary: On April 3, 2009, Jiverly Wong barricaded the back door
of a community center with his car and then opened fire on a room full of
immigrants taking a citizenship class, killing 13 people before committing
suicide, officials said. The attack came just after 10 a.m. at the American
Civic Association, an organization that helps immigrants settle in this
country. Police Chief Joseph Zikuski said Wong parked his car against the back
door, "making sure nobody could escape," then stormed through the
front, shooting two receptionists, apparently without a word. He then calmly
walked in the front door with two handguns. Sources say he was carrying a
satchel with extra ammo, a large knife, a flashlight and what appeared to be
survival gear - a sign that he was prepared for a standoff. One receptionist
was killed, while the other, shot in the abdomen, pretended to be dead and then
crawled under a desk and called 911, Police Chief Joseph Zikuski said. The rest
of those killed were shot in the classroom. Four people were critically
wounded. Wong was found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound in an office,
a satchel containing ammunition slung around his neck, authorities said. Police
found two handguns — a 9 mm and a .45-caliber — and a hunting
knife. Thirty-seven people in all made it out of the building, including 26 who
hid in the boiler room in the basement, cowering there for three hours while
police methodically searched the building and tried to determine whether the
gunman was still alive and whether he was holding any hostages, Zikuski said.
On the day of the killings, Wong mailed a letter to a Binghamton TV station,
along with his driver's license, gun permit, and photos of him posing with
pistols. The letter unleashes a slew of bizarre, paranoid accusations against
police officers whom Wong, 41, believed were persecuting him, repeatedly saying
breaking into his room, stealing from him, causing him to lose his job and
trying to stage a car accident with him. The missive, whose claims are
unsupported by any publicly known facts, suggests Wong was deranged. It already
was known the Vietnam-born Chinese loner, who lost his $8 an hour vacuum
cleaner factory job in November, was deeply frustrated with his lack of English
skills and obsessed with acquiring a gun before he went on his shooting
rampage. "The letter sounds bizarre and has tones of persecution. And in
his internal world, this violence might have been some sort of
retaliation," said Dr. Vatsal Thakkar, clinical assistant professor of
psychiatry at NYU's Langone Medical Center. "Put these actions and the
theme of the letter all together, and it could point to major mental illness,
quite possibly paranoid schizophrenia." Wong's sister told NBC's
"Today" show that she could "see that he was very depressed from
losing his job, and he was very frustrated with his English-speaking
skills." Source: KDA2, 4/3/09; New York Post, 4/6/09

Date: 4/2009

Location: Binghamton, Broome, NY

Summary: On April 3, 2009, Jiverly Wong barricaded the back door
of a community center with his car and then opened fire on a room full of
immigrants taking a citizenship class, killing 13 people before committing
suicide, officials said. The attack came just after 10 a.m. at the American
Civic Association, an organization that helps immigrants settle in this
country. Police Chief Joseph Zikuski said Wong parked his car against the back
door, "making sure nobody could escape," then stormed through the
front, shooting two receptionists, apparently without a word. He then calmly
walked in the front door with two handguns. Sources say he was carrying a
satchel with extra ammo, a large knife, a flashlight and what appeared to be
survival gear - a sign that he was prepared for a standoff. One receptionist
was killed, while the other, shot in the abdomen, pretended to be dead and then
crawled under a desk and called 911, Police Chief Joseph Zikuski said. The rest
of those killed were shot in the classroom. Four people were critically
wounded. Wong was found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound in an office,
a satchel containing ammunition slung around his neck, authorities said. Police
found two handguns — a 9 mm and a .45-caliber — and a hunting
knife. Thirty-seven people in all made it out of the building, including 26 who
hid in the boiler room in the basement, cowering there for three hours while
police methodically searched the building and tried to determine whether the
gunman was still alive and whether he was holding any hostages, Zikuski said.
On the day of the killings, Wong mailed a letter to a Binghamton TV station,
along with his driver's license, gun permit, and photos of him posing with
pistols. The letter unleashes a slew of bizarre, paranoid accusations against
police officers whom Wong, 41, believed were persecuting him, repeatedly saying
breaking into his room, stealing from him, causing him to lose his job and
trying to stage a car accident with him. The missive, whose claims are
unsupported by any publicly known facts, suggests Wong was deranged. It already
was known the Vietnam-born Chinese loner, who lost his $8 an hour vacuum
cleaner factory job in November, was deeply frustrated with his lack of English
skills and obsessed with acquiring a gun before he went on his shooting
rampage. "The letter sounds bizarre and has tones of persecution. And in
his internal world, this violence might have been some sort of
retaliation," said Dr. Vatsal Thakkar, clinical assistant professor of
psychiatry at NYU's Langone Medical Center. "Put these actions and the
theme of the letter all together, and it could point to major mental illness,
quite possibly paranoid schizophrenia." Wong's sister told NBC's
"Today" show that she could "see that he was very depressed from
losing his job, and he was very frustrated with his English-speaking
skills." Source: KDA2, 4/3/09; New York Post, 4/6/09

Date: 4/2009

Location: Binghamton, Broome, NY

Summary: On April 3, 2009, Jiverly Wong barricaded the back door
of a community center with his car and then opened fire on a room full of
immigrants taking a citizenship class, killing 13 people before committing
suicide, officials said. The attack came just after 10 a.m. at the American
Civic Association, an organization that helps immigrants settle in this
country. Police Chief Joseph Zikuski said Wong parked his car against the back
door, "making sure nobody could escape," then stormed through the
front, shooting two receptionists, apparently without a word. He then calmly
walked in the front door with two handguns. Sources say he was carrying a
satchel with extra ammo, a large knife, a flashlight and what appeared to be
survival gear - a sign that he was prepared for a standoff. One receptionist
was killed, while the other, shot in the abdomen, pretended to be dead and then
crawled under a desk and called 911, Police Chief Joseph Zikuski said. The rest
of those killed were shot in the classroom. Four people were critically
wounded. Wong was found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound in an office,
a satchel containing ammunition slung around his neck, authorities said. Police
found two handguns — a 9 mm and a .45-caliber — and a hunting
knife. Thirty-seven people in all made it out of the building, including 26 who
hid in the boiler room in the basement, cowering there for three hours while
police methodically searched the building and tried to determine whether the
gunman was still alive and whether he was holding any hostages, Zikuski said.
On the day of the killings, Wong mailed a letter to a Binghamton TV station,
along with his driver's license, gun permit, and photos of him posing with
pistols. The letter unleashes a slew of bizarre, paranoid accusations against
police officers whom Wong, 41, believed were persecuting him, repeatedly saying
breaking into his room, stealing from him, causing him to lose his job and
trying to stage a car accident with him. The missive, whose claims are
unsupported by any publicly known facts, suggests Wong was deranged. It already
was known the Vietnam-born Chinese loner, who lost his $8 an hour vacuum
cleaner factory job in November, was deeply frustrated with his lack of English
skills and obsessed with acquiring a gun before he went on his shooting
rampage. "The letter sounds bizarre and has tones of persecution. And in
his internal world, this violence might have been some sort of
retaliation," said Dr. Vatsal Thakkar, clinical assistant professor of
psychiatry at NYU's Langone Medical Center. "Put these actions and the
theme of the letter all together, and it could point to major mental illness,
quite possibly paranoid schizophrenia." Wong's sister told NBC's
"Today" show that she could "see that he was very depressed from
losing his job, and he was very frustrated with his English-speaking
skills." Source: KDA2, 4/3/09; New York Post, 4/6/09

Date: 5/2009

Location: Searingtown, Nassau, NY

Summary: On May 13, 2009, Kay Barragan, the wife of 1-800-Mattress
mogul Napoleon Barragan, was murdered in her Long Island home, allegedly by her
mentally troubled son, police said. The family driver found 65-year-old Kay
Barragan's body at the bottom of a flight of stairs when he reported for work
as usual at the Searingtown home about 7 a.m. Nassau County cops hauled Eduardo
Barragan, 38, out of the house in handcuffs and wearing only a robe. He was
charged with second-degree murder. They said mother and son were alone in the house
when she died. Allegedly, Barragan beat his mother until she bled to death.
Eduardo's sister, Kay Otilia Massel, 42, called her brother "a good man
who has suffered for 19 years with schizophrenia." Prior History: In the
weeks before Kay Barragan’s death, trouble brewed the Long Island home she
shared with her son, Eduardo. Nassau County police said in the prior six weeks,
they received four 911 calls from the house. Nassau County Detective Lt. John
Azzata confirmed the mother and son had a fight but said there was no firm
motive for the slaying of Barragan. The 911 calls to the home on Sunset Drive
in Searingtown were all "minor in nature," with one involving a
larceny, Azzata said. Eduardo Barragan's sister told the Daily News her brother
suffered from schizophrenia. Azzata said only that "he has a medical
history" and no criminal record. Subsequent History: On November 5, 2009,
Nassau County Judge David Sullivan found Eduardo Barragan unfit to stand trial
for the May murder of his mother, and sent him to a secure upstate psychiatric
facility indefinitely. Sullivan said in court that Barragan, 38, had been
examined by two psychiatrists, both of whom determined that he is mentally
incompetent to stand trial. Neither prosecutors nor Barragan's defense lawyer
contested those findings. Source: New York Daily News, 5/14/09, 5/15/09;
Newsday, 11/6/09

Date: 10/2003

Location: New York, New York, NY

Summary: Alberto Menegro, 42, was charged with second-degree
murder and first-degree assault in a fatal attack on his 8-year-old niece and
other relatives in their Manhattan apartment. Police said that Menegro claimed
to be "hearing voices in his head" when he killed the girl by
slitting her throat and attacked other relatives on October 19, 2003. Menegro was
alone in the kitchen with his sister's only child when he suddenly snapped and
stabbed the 8-year-old with a steak knife, police said. Other relatives at home
heard blood-curdling screams coming from the room, and the mom and uncle rushed
in to see what was going on, cops said. Horrified at the sight of the dying
girl crumpled on the floor, they tried to stop Menegro, who stabbed and wounded
both of them, police said. Menegro's relatives told police he had been treated
for schizophrenia at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital as recently as March 2003,
but that he stopped taking his medicine. Menegro, who also cut his own throat
during the incident, was moved to Bellevue Hospital after being treated at
Harlem Hospital. Source: New York Post, October 21, 2003 The Daily News,
October 20, 2003 New York Post, October 23, 2003

Date: 10/2003

Location: New York, New York, NY

Summary: Alberto Menegro, 42, was charged with second-degree
murder and first-degree assault in a fatal attack on his 8-year-old niece and
other relatives in their Manhattan apartment. Police said that Menegro claimed
to be "hearing voices in his head" when he killed the girl by
slitting her throat and attacked other relatives on October 19, 2003. Menegro
was alone in the kitchen with his sister's only child when he suddenly snapped
and stabbed the 8-year-old with a steak knife, police said. Other relatives at
home heard blood-curdling screams coming from the room, and the mom and uncle
rushed in to see what was going on, cops said. Horrified at the sight of the
dying girl crumpled on the floor, they tried to stop Menegro, who stabbed and
wounded both of them, police said. Menegro's relatives told police he had been
treated for schizophrenia at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital as recently as
March 2003, but that he stopped taking his medicine. Menegro, who also cut his
own throat during the incident, was moved to Bellevue Hospital after being
treated at Harlem Hospital. Source: New York Post, October 21, 2003 The Daily
News, October 20, 2003 New York Post, October 23, 2003

RecordID: 860

Date: 1/2000

Location: , , NY

Summary: Alan Zelencic, 28, was shot and killed by police after he
lunged at them with a 15-inch knife. He had just slashed his mother with a
knife and the police were trying to apprehend him when the shots were fired.
His mother was treated and released. Zelencic didn't have a criminal history,
but he did have a history of mental illness for which he had been treated at
the Long Island Jewish Medical Center in 1991. Police officials said Officers
Caruso and Dudley did not appear to have violated department guidelines that
govern situations in which officers confront emotionally disturbed people.
Source: The New York Times, January 18, 2000, p. 3

Date: 10/2001

Location: Bronx, Bronx, NY

Summary: Police killed a mentally ill Bronx man who shot and
injured his sister, Angelika Brinker, 38, and his roommate, Shamula Subaka, 41.
Police said the shooting occurred because Malik Mustafa was pointing a pistol
at his sister's head and refused to yield. Mustafa, 36, has a history of
psychological problems. Police speculate Mustafa's failure to take his
medication triggered this incident. Source: Newsday

Date: 8/2002

Location: New Rochelle, Westchester, NY

Summary: Samuel Calloway, 19, of New Rochelle, NY killed his
6-year-old cousin Marquise Newman with a hatchet in the boy's apartment, then
set the apartment on fire on August 4, 2002. In April 2004, Calloway pleaded
guilty to second-degree murder in Westchester County Court to avoid a
conviction at trial that would have produced a much longer sentence. Calloway
said he killed the boy after going to his apartment, forcing a babysitter
outside and barricading the door. He also pleaded guilty to attempted murder
for trying to kill 44-year-old Chauncey Williams with the same hatchet hours
earlier outside a New Rochelle pizzeria. Calloway told the police the man had
made a pass at him. Acting state Supreme Court Justice Richard Molea promised
Calloway a prison term of 20 years to life at sentencing. Calloway's attorney
says he is a paranoid schizophrenic who also suffers from bipolar disorder and
who was not taking his prescribed medication at the time of the murder. The
defense had hoped Calloway could plead not responsible by reason of mental
disease, but that would have required the consent of the office of District
Attorney Jeanine Pirro. The prosecution hired an expert who evaluated Calloway
and determined that despite his illness he was aware of what he was doing.
Source: The Journal News (Westchester County, NY), December 31, 2002; The
Associated Press, April 23, 2004; The Journal News (Westchester County, NY)
April 23, 2004; White Plains Journal News, June 9, 2004

Date: 8/2002

Location: New Rochelle, Westchester, NY

Summary: Samuel Calloway, 19, of New Rochelle, NY killed his
6-year-old cousin Marquise Newman with a hatchet in the boy's apartment, then
set the apartment on fire on August 4, 2002. In April 2004, Calloway pleaded
guilty to second-degree murder in Westchester County Court to avoid a
conviction at trial that would have produced a much longer sentence. Calloway
said he killed the boy after going to his apartment, forcing a babysitter
outside and barricading the door. He also pleaded guilty to attempted murder
for trying to kill 44-year-old Chauncey Williams with the same hatchet hours
earlier outside a New Rochelle pizzeria. Calloway told the police the man had
made a pass at him. Acting state Supreme Court Justice Richard Molea promised
Calloway a prison term of 20 years to life at sentencing. Calloway's attorney
says he is a paranoid schizophrenic who also suffers from bipolar disorder and
who was not taking his prescribed medication at the time of the murder. The
defense had hoped Calloway could plead not responsible by reason of mental
disease, but that would have required the consent of the office of District
Attorney Jeanine Pirro. The prosecution hired an expert who evaluated Calloway
and determined that despite his illness he was aware of what he was doing.
Source: The Journal News (Westchester County, NY), December 31, 2002; The
Associated Press, April 23, 2004; The Journal News (Westchester County, NY)
April 23, 2004; White Plains Journal News, June 9, 2004

Date: 3/2002

Location: Buffalo, Erie, NY

Summary: John Cipollina, 41, who is diagnosed with paranoid
schizophrenia, spent four months in jail after he attacked his parents during a
car ride near their North Buffalo, NY home in March, 2002, authorities said.
According to police statements, 65-year-old Rosario Cipollina told of how his
son gave him a black eye and was prone to throwing chairs around their home,
and the chief of the Erie County district attorney's Domestic Violence Bureau
described the Cipollina case as a classic example of elder abuse. After
Cipollina was released from jail, a judge signed an order of protection that
forced him to move out of his parents' house and refrain from all contact with
them. This was eventually modified to allow visitation only. Despite
Cipollina's continued requests to return to his parents' home, City Court Judge
Thomas P. Franczyk delayed making a decision on this until he received more
information on the son's mental condition and medication. Rosario Cipollina,
however, told Judge Franczyk that he did not object to his son's return, but
wanted "to make sure he's taking his medication". Source: Buffalo
News (New York), April 7 & May 4, 2003

Date: 7/2000

Location: Queens, Queens, NY

Summary: Jaime Oliveira, 22, a man with schizophrenia, allegedly
attacked two women in July and August 2000 after picking them up in his cab
early in the morning outside two different bars in Woodside, Queens. In July
2000, he allegedly refused to allow a 31-year-old woman to leave his cab by
locking her door from the front seat. He then walked around to the back, opened
the passenger door and attacked her. In August 2000, he allegedly raped a
25-year-old woman as she slept in the back of his black Lincoln Town Car. He
was charged with rape, sodomy, attempted rape, unlawful imprisonment, sex abuse
and kidnapping and faces up to 50 years in prison if convicted. Oliveira, who
had spent much of the two years since his arrest in and out of mental
institutions and was on medication, has been missing since shortly after
posting $150,000 bail on Oct. 21, 2003. He failed to appear for his November 5,
2003 trial date. "I'm not speculating" about whether he went off his
medication once he made bail, his attorney Lawrence Kerben said. "He was
looking at a lot of time. Fifteen years was the last offer from the DA's office."
Source: New York Daily News, November 18, 2003

Date: 7/2003

Location: Granby, Oswego, NY

Summary: Joseph Blake, an Oswego County, NY, man, was accused of
killing his parents James, 81, and Betty Blake, 72, by striking them with a
claw hammer. Their bodies were found July 16, 2003 in their home in Granby, NY.
Blake, 48, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder. According to the
arrest report, Blake has a history of mental health problems and a long
involvement with Community Mental Health. A judge ordered an evaluation of
Blake by two county psychiatrists due to Blake's disheveled appearance in court
and his past history of psychiatric problems. The day before his parents were
killed, Blake was taken by police to the Oswego Hospital emergency room for a
mental health evaluation after he got into an altercation with a social worker.
On the morning that his parents' bodies were found, Oswego officers again
picked up Blake on a mental health order, which they have said was unrelated to
the killings. Subsequent History: Blake pleaded guilty on November 18, 2004 to
killing his parents and was sentenced to two concurrent terms of 25 years to
life. On October 18, 2004, Blake was found competent enough to assist in his
defense and stand trial, acting County Judge John Elliott said. During a brief
hearing in April 2004, defense lawyer Joseph Rodak said a clinical psychologist
recommended Blake undergo a brain scan because he had suffered a series of head
injuries throughout his lifetime and these may have caused brain damage. After
appearing in Oswego County Surrogate Court on July 13, 2004, it was decided
that Blake would undergo further psychiatric evaluations.The District
Attorney's Office was given the opportunity to select their own doctor to
evaluate Blake. Prior History: Since 1995, Blake had been treated in several
psychiatric facilities for bi-polar disorder. Blake also had a history of going
off medications, Rodak said. Source: The Post-Standard (Syracuse, NY), January
27, 2004/ April 27, 2004/ July 20, 2004/ October 19, 2004/ November 19, 2004;
The Palladium Times, July 19, 2004/ October 19, 2004; Long Island Newsday,
December 21, 2004

Date: 2/2004

Location: New York, New York, NY

Summary: Police alleged that Bonergy Quelal, 47, threw materials
he found in a transit storage shed - including a fire extinguisher - onto the
tracks in a subway tunnel in Greenwich Village, setting off a small explosion
on the night of February 29, 2004. More than 1,000 riders on several trains
were evacuated. The Bronx man had been released on February 19 from the Weill
Cornell Medical Center after 17 days of treatment, despite objections from his
family. A police investigator said Quelal suffers from bipolar disorder and
takes medication for the illness. Quelal, who reportedly is unemployed, was
arrested shortly after the incident and was being held for arraignment.
Prosecutors were determining what charges should be filed. Prior History:
Neighbors said Quelal had a history of spraying ammonia and bleach on lit
stoves and inside clothes dryers, as well as tossing furniture out windows -
once nearly hitting a passerby. On October 18, 2000 firefighters were called to
Quelal's apartment in response to a kitchen-stove fire. Neighbors said he set
the fire and that he had said he saw the devil in the flames. In August 2003
Quelal was charged with trespassing at Brooklyn's Fort Hamiliton, but the
charges were dropped. He was arrested later that month in upstate New York for
stealing credit cards and checks from mailboxes, and served about six months in
jail. Soon after he was freed, he spent two days in the psychiatric ward at
Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx, his brother said. Quelal's brother said Quelal
blew up his medication in a microwave after his latest release from the
hospital. At the time of his arrest for the subway incident, he was being
sought on a warrant for failing to appear in court for a traffic-law violation,
police said. Source: Newsday (NY), March 2, 2004 Daily News (NY), March 2,
2004

Date: 2/2002

Location: New York, New York, NY

Summary: Ronald Popadich, 40, a Bergen County, NJ man with
schizophrenia, faces a 70-count indictment in Manhattan that charges him with
second-degree murder in the death of Neal Spicehandler, a lawyer from Long
Island who was struck as he crossed Seventh Avenue during one of Popadich's
alleged hit-and-run rages on Feb. 12, 2002. Popadich also faces attempted
murder charges for allegedly striking 17 other people that day and seven people
in a rampage on Feb. 14. In addition, he is charged with shooting New York City
cabbie Gurmukh Singh, 54, twice in the head. Singh survived. In March 2004,
Popadich pleaded guilty in Hackensack (NJ) Superior Court to murder, carjacking
and weapons charges related to the shooting death of a New Jersey woman on
February 10, 2002. The death spurred Popadich's five-day crime spree,
culminating in the hit-and-run incidents in New York. In April 2004, he was
sentenced to 30 years in prison without parole for the New Jersey murder, and
could spend the rest of his life behind bars if he is convicted of one count of
murder and 26 counts of attempted murder in the Manhattan incidents. See
Episode #2481 Source: New Jersey Journal, March 6, 2004 The Record (Bergen
County, NJ) April 16, 2004

Date: 2/2002

Location: New York, New York, NY

Summary: Ronald Popadich, 40, a Bergen County, NJ man with
schizophrenia, faces a 70-count indictment in Manhattan that charges him with
second-degree murder in the death of Neal Spicehandler, a lawyer from Long
Island who was struck as he crossed Seventh Avenue during one of Popadich's
alleged hit-and-run rages on Feb. 12, 2002. Popadich also faces attempted
murder charges for allegedly striking 17 other people that day and seven people
in a rampage on Feb. 14. In addition, he is charged with shooting New York City
cabbie Gurmukh Singh, 54, twice in the head. Singh survived. In March 2004,
Popadich pleaded guilty in Hackensack (NJ) Superior Court to murder, carjacking
and weapons charges related to the shooting death of a New Jersey woman on
February 10, 2002. The death spurred Popadich's five-day crime spree,
culminating in the hit-and-run incidents in New York. In April 2004, he was
sentenced to 30 years in prison without parole for the New Jersey murder, and
could spend the rest of his life behind bars if he is convicted of one count of
murder and 26 counts of attempted murder in the Manhattan incidents. See
Episode #2481 Source: New Jersey Journal, March 6, 2004 The Record (Bergen
County, NJ) April 16, 2004

Date: 2/2002

Location: New York, New York, NY

Summary: Ronald Popadich, 40, a Bergen County, NJ man with
schizophrenia, faces a 70-count indictment in Manhattan that charges him with
second-degree murder in the death of Neal Spicehandler, a lawyer from Long
Island who was struck as he crossed Seventh Avenue during one of Popadich's
alleged hit-and-run rages on Feb. 12, 2002. Popadich also faces attempted
murder charges for allegedly striking 17 other people that day and seven people
in a rampage on Feb. 14. In addition, he is charged with shooting New York City
cabbie Gurmukh Singh, 54, twice in the head. Singh survived. In March 2004,
Popadich pleaded guilty in Hackensack (NJ) Superior Court to murder, carjacking
and weapons charges related to the shooting death of a New Jersey woman on
February 10, 2002. The death spurred Popadich's five-day crime spree,
culminating in the hit-and-run incidents in New York. In April 2004, he was
sentenced to 30 years in prison without parole for the New Jersey murder, and
could spend the rest of his life behind bars if he is convicted of one count of
murder and 26 counts of attempted murder in the Manhattan incidents. See
Episode #2481 Source: New Jersey Journal, March 6, 2004 The Record (Bergen
County, NJ) April 16, 2004

Date: 10/2000

Location: Yonkers, Westchester, NY

Summary: David "Lobo" Salazar, a homeless man with a
history of psychiatric illness, was sentenced to 12 years in state prison for
fatally beating a Mexican gang member whose body he dumped in the Hudson River.
Salazar, 29, told Westchester County Judge Barbara Zambelli that he was drunk
when he beat 19-year-old Jaime "Dado" Rojas to death in October 2000.
Rojas' body was discovered floating near the Yonkers City Pier on October 9,
2000. Salazar said that he hit Rojas seven or eight times with a stick and that
he had sniffed glue, drank alcohol and smoked crack shortly before the killing.
Salazar had been beaten up a week earlier during a fight with Rojas and another
man. Salazar, who has suffered from schizophrenia, was admitted to a
psychiatric hospital following his arrest a few days after the body was found.
He was found to be competent to stand trial in 2003 and told his Legal Aid
lawyer not to pursue a psychiatric defense. Facing second-degree murder
charges, he was about to go to trial in January 2004 when he pleaded guilty to
first-degree manslaughter in exchange for the 12-year sentence. Source: The
Journal News.com (NY), March 10, 2004

Date: 3/2003

Location: Pleasantville, Westchester, NY

Summary: Sheila Davalloo, a woman with bipolar disorder and a
family history of mental illness, was convicted of second-degree attempted
murder, first-degree assault and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon
after stabbing her husband Paul Christos, on March 23, 2003 in their
Pleasantville, NY home. In April 2004, she was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Christos was stabbed while handcuffed and blindfolded during a kinky game
Davalloo suggested at their home - and then again later when she drove him to a
secluded area of the Westchester Medical Center's grounds, the prosecution
contended at trial. She faces a minimum of five years and a maximum of 25 years
in state prison. Davalloo, 34, said she was high on painkillers that day and
did not recall stabbing Christos. After the assault on her husband, Davalloo
became a suspect in the November 8, 2002 slaying of Anna-Lisa Raymundo, who was
beaten and stabbed to death in her Stamford, CT apartment. Testimony revealed
that both women were having relationships with Nelson Sessler, a research
scientist at Purdue Pharma, where they also worked as scientists. Davalloo was
referred to a social worker at her workplace in September 2002, but two months
later stopped returning the counselor's phone calls and canceled her
appointments. Dr. Donald Lewittes, a forensic psychologist who examined
Davalloo after the March 23 incident, testified that he believes Davalloo was
misdiagnosed. For at least 48 hours after the stabbing, Davalloo suffered from
a dissociative disorder in which she hovered between consciousness and psychosis,
Lewittes said. Davalloo's psychiatrist at Westchester Medical Center testified
that Davalloo was admitted to the facility April 3 and stayed for several
months. Dr. Jay Draoua said he diagnosed her with depression and hypomania and
prescribed an anti-psychotic medication when she was discharged. She said she
regularly took Valium and Xanax and up to 15 to 20 Vicodin pills a day. The
stabbing, Lewittes said, "happened through a psychotic, confused mind and
was meant to hurt him, not kill him." Source: White Plains Journal News,
February 10 & 20, 2004 The Stamford Advocate, 2/11, 2/12, & 2/19, 2004
White Plains Journal News, 4/21/04; Lower Hudson Journal News (NY), 1/15/09

Date: 9/2002

Location: Mount Vernon, Westchester, NY

Summary: On September 19, 2002, Kimberly Weldon threw her
3-year-old son, Malik, in front of a school bus in Mount Vernon, NY because she
said the voices in her head told her he should be spared the troubled life she
had led. The bus passed over Malik, who was not seriously injured. She was
charged with attempted murder. At trial, a psychologist determined that the
38-year-old suffered from psychosis and did not understand the consequences or
wrongfulness of what she had done. The prosecution’s own expert agreed. Weldon
had begun acting strangely in late summer 2002 but had no history of
psychiatric problems. Her 17-year old daughter told doctors that, hours before
the incident, Weldon had ordered her and her brother into the family car and
told them to undress. Then she had them get dressed again and return to their
Mount Vernon apartment, but told them not to go near the doors and windows and
that Jesus was coming. Two doctors who observed Weldon in the county jail in
October 2002 reported that she was acutely psychotic and delusional when she
arrived but was competent to stand trial. Weldon was freed on bail and was
being treated as an outpatient at St. Vincent’s Hospital. She was given
visitation rights with her children, who were being cared for by relatives.
Source: White Plains Journal News (NY), January 12, 2004

Date: 9/2002

Location: Middle Island, Suffolk, NY

Summary: Christopher Maggio, 31, who suffers from depression and
"probably other mental illnesses" according to his lawyer, held his
parents hostage in their Head of the Harbor home because he was angry about the
break-up of his marriage. Maggio has been charged with second-degree kidnapping
for terrorizing his parents and threatening them with a knife, a handgun and a
stun gun and for causing destruction to their property. Maggio's wife, a
Russian woman he brought back from that country to marry, filed an order of
protection against him after several months of marriage and finally left him
after he violated the order. Source: Newsday (New York), October 1, 2002

Date: 10/2002

Location: Queens Village, Queens, NY

Summary: Robert Jeanlord, 25, told police he suffocated his mother
Marie Jeanlord, 52, on October 28, 2002, before stabbing himself in the chest,
because he thought she was poisoning him, authorities said. Police found Robert
on the porch waiting for officers to arrive and his mother’s body in the
bathroom of her Queens Village home. Police said Robert Jeanlord, who was
undergoing psychiatric evaluation at Mary Immaculate Hospital last night,
suffers from schizophrenia. He apparently stabbed himself twice with a kitchen
knife. Source: Newsday, October 29, 2002

Date: 9/2001

Location: Webster, Monroe, NY

Summary: Randy Eugene Smith, a mentally ill homeless man, was
charged with second-degree murder in the stabbing death of Lorie Hartman on
Sept. 2, 2001. Smith was accused of killing Hartman, 42, as she walked her two
dogs in Empire Boulevard Park in Webster, New York. Smith had been living in
the park for about six weeks before the attack. He was found incompetent in
December 2001 and remanded to Rochester Psychiatric Center. Monroe County Court
Judge Patricia D. Marks agreed on Nov. 13, 2002, to extend Smith's commitment
for another year. Subsequent History: Smith pleaded guilty to first-degree
manslaughter in April 2005, and was sentenced on June 23, 2005 to the maximum
sentence of 25 years. He had earlier been charged with second-degree murder but
was initially ruled incompetent to stand trial. However, in May, 2004, he was
deemed competent and was later put on trial. But in October 2004, his trial
ended in a hung jury. Later, an eighth-inch-long hair matching Smith's hair was
found on Hartman's body and her blood was also found on his clothing. Prior
History: Smith has been mentally ill since the 1980s and was involuntarily
committed to the psychiatric center in 1998 for refusing to take medication to
control paranoid schizophrenia. He was eventually released when his condition
improved, according to court records. Source: Rochester Democrat Chronicle,
November 14, 2002; May 4, 2004; May 3, 2005; June 24, 2005;

Date: 12/2001

Location: Sodus, Wayne, NY

Summary: Sharone S. Thomas, 17, is charged with assault and
aggravated assault for allegedly hitting trooper John Jackson in the face with
a rock the size of a hand grenade outside a store in Sodus on Dec. 11, 2001. In
April, doctors deemed Thomas mentally unfit to face prosecution, and the court
committed him to a psychiatric center. He was cleared for trial in early
November 2002. He faces a maximum of 25 years in state prison if convicted of
both charges. Prior History: Thomas has a history of assaulting police
officers, and was tried as a juvenile because he was younger than 16. Thomas
has an extensive history of mental illness. He has been diagnosed with paranoid
schizophrenia, "including paranoid delusions and hallucinations." If
a jury finds him not guilty of the charges by reason of mental disease, Thomas
will be sent to a secure mental health treatment facility, where doctors will
be asked to determine whether he is dangerous. If they find that he is, he can
be held at the institution and his case will be reviewed every two years.
Source: Finger Lakes Times, November 19, 2002

Date: 3/2003

Location: Buffalo, Erie, NY

Summary: Jeremy Perkins, 28, is charged with second-degree murder
and weapons possession in connection with the stabbing death of his 54-year-old
mother, Ellie Perkins. Police found her body in a bedroom in their Buffalo home
on March 13, 2003. A not guilty plea was entered for Perkins and he was ordered
to submit to a psychiatric evaluation. A friend of the family told The Buffalo
News that Perkins had developed schizophrenia in the last year and that family
members had been treating him with vitamins. On July 29, 2003, Perkins pleaded
not mentally responsible for the murder of his mother. Erie County Judge
Shirley Troutman ordered further psychiatric examinations for Perkins, refusing
to consider the findings of two members of the staff of the Rochester Forensic
Mental Unit who have been treating Perkins since early August 2003. Troutman
ultimately must decide whether Perkins goes to prison or gets long-term
treatment in a guarded mental facility. Source: The Times Union, March 15,
2003 Buffalo News (New York), November 15, 2003

Date: 3/2002

Location: Lockport, Niagara, NY

Summary: Aaron A. Paterson, 27, a Lockport, NY man who inflicted
apparent brain damage on his infant daughter in three incidents of child abuse
in March, 2002, received a 10-year prison sentence in December 2002. Paterson,
who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder according to his attorney,
allegedly smothered, shook and slammed his daughter's head against a doorjam in
three separate incidents. The baby's mother, who did not know about the
assaults, took the baby to the doctor because she seemed lethargic and the
injuries were noted. Paterson will have to serve 8 and 1/2 years of his
sentence before he is elgible for parole. Once he gets out of prison, he will
be on five years of probation. The judge also signed an order barring Paterson
from having any contact with his wife and daughter for the next decade.
Paterson had no prior criminal record. Source: The Buffalo News, December 20,
2002

Date: 2/2003

Location: Queens, Queens, NY

Summary: Larme Price, 30, was charged with first-degree murder and
faces the death penalty for allegedly killing four immigrants in separate acts
of revenge against Arabs for the September 11 terror attacks. However,
questions mounted about whether proper psychiatric treatment could have cut
short the rampage. The killing spree began February 8, 2003, when police say
Price shot and killed a Guyanese immigrant of Indian descent in a Queens
grocery store. Two hours later, Price allegedly fatally shot an immigrant from
India in his Brooklyn convenience store. An immigrant from the Ukraine was
killed March 10 at his laundermat in Brooklyn after Price said he
"disrespected" him. Ten days later, Price allegedly killed a Yemeni
immigrant in a Crown Heights, Brooklyn, grocery store. Brooklyn Criminal Court
Judge Timothy Duffici placed Price on suicide watch after his arrest and
ordered detoxification treatment for the admitted drug user. Price's relatives
have said they repeatedly tried to get psychiatric treatment for the father of
three who descended into paranoia and rage. They said Price was turned away
from Woodhull Hospital several times. A hospital source told the Daily News
that Price had been seen by a psychiatrist but was discharged because he showed
no sign of being a danger to himself or others. Source: Daily News, April 1,
2003

Date: 2/2002

Location: Oswego, Oswego, NY

Summary: On February 19, 2002, Rebecca A. Boardway, 30, fatally
stabbed her daughter, 10-year-old Mariah Skanley. Boardway told police she
stabbed her daughter with a 4-inch steak knife to save the girl from going to
hell. Boardway pleaded not responsible by reason of mental disease or defect.
Subsequent History: Oswego County Judge Walter Hafner Jr. ruled that Boardway
was a threat to herself and others after listening to a state psychiatrist
testify that Boardway was hallucinating and psychotic when she killed her
daughter. Boardway was charged with attempted murder and felony assault after
police said she stabbed her daughter. During her plea, Boardway, who was
diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1999, told the judge she wasn't taking her
medication and hadn't seen a psychiatrist in two to three months before her
arrest. Subsequent History: On July 28, 2009, an Onondaga County judge ruled
that Rebecca Boardway, who claimed she killed her daughter to save the child
from going to hell, would remain at Hutchings Psychiatric Center for the time
being but will be allowed escorted furloughs on and off the campus. Source:
The Post-Standard, 3/26/03; Fox44.net, 7/29/09

Date: 8/2002

Location: New Rochelle, Westchester, NY

Summary: Samuel Calloway, 19, of New Rochelle, NY killed his
6-year-old cousin Marquise Newman with a hatchet in the boy's apartment, then
set the apartment on fire on August 4, 2002. In April 2004, Calloway pleaded
guilty to second-degree murder in Westchester County Court to avoid a
conviction at trial that would have produced a much longer sentence. Calloway
said he killed the boy after going to his apartment, forcing a babysitter
outside and barricading the door. He also pleaded guilty to attempted murder
for trying to kill 44-year-old Chauncey Williams with the same hatchet hours
earlier outside a New Rochelle pizzeria. Calloway told the police the man had
made a pass at him. Acting state Supreme Court Justice Richard Molea promised
Calloway a prison term of 20 years to life at sentencing. Calloway's attorney
says he is a paranoid schizophrenic who also suffers from bipolar disorder and
who was not taking his prescribed medication at the time of the murder. The
defense had hoped Calloway could plead not responsible by reason of mental
disease, but that would have required the consent of the office of District
Attorney Jeanine Pirro. The prosecution hired an expert who evaluated Calloway
and determined that despite his illness he was aware of what he was doing.
Source: The Journal News (Westchester County, NY), December 31, 2002; The
Associated Press, April 23, 2004; The Journal News (Westchester County, NY)
April 23, 2004; White Plains Journal News, June 9, 2004

Date: 7/2001

Location: Brooklyn, Kings, NY

Summary: Georgia Charlton, 21, threw a liter of acid onto her
boyfriend, Tenlin Lyew, permanently disfiguring his face on June 18, 2001 in
Brooklyn, NY. She was convicted of attempted murder and sentenced to 17 years
in prison. Charlton was trying to scar Lyew for life because he threatened to
leave her if she had an abortion - but then left her anyway after she delivered
their baby, law-enforcement sources said. She had pleaded not guilty, claiming
in court documents that she doused Lyew with industrial-strength drain opener
after he tried to beat her. Charlton, who has been diagnosed with paranoid
schizophrenia, and Lyew started a steamy love affair in their native Jamaica.
Subsequent history: Charlton attempted suicide in March 2004. Source: The New
York Post, April 21, 2003 The New York Post, March 16, 2004

Date: 2/2002

Location: Ozone Park, Queens, NY

Summary: Felix Rondon, 32, of Queens, New York, savagely bit his
pregnant, live-in girlfriend's face in an attempt to permanently disfigure her.
Rondon suffers from bipolar disorder and had sought psychiatric help the week
before the February 18, 2002, attack on 22-year-old Jessica Mencia in their
South Ozone Park home. He pleaded guilty to assault charges and agreed to spend
11 1/2 years behind bars. Although Rondon originally faced an attempted murder
charge, Mencia agreed to the plea deal so she could avoid testifying at a
trial, prosecutors said. She still suffers from the attack, when Rondon bit off
large parts of both ears, parts of her forehead and cheeks, and nearly took out
an eye, police said. Mencia later gave birth to a disabled child and will have
to continue to get skin grafts and plastic surgery for years. Before handing
down the negotiated sentence, Supreme Court Justice William Erlbaum noted
Rondon's pattern of mental illness, including bipolar disorder, adjustment
disorder and schizoaffective disorder. He said he hoped Rondon receives proper
treatment in prison. Erlbaum also signed an order prohibiting Rondon from coming
into contact with Mencia before November 27, 2017. He said Rondon would be in
violation of the order if he accepted a visit from Mencia at prison, although
he said the parties could ask a judge to modify the order at a later date.
Source: Daily News (New York), May 28, 2003 Newsday (New York), August 7, 2003

Date: 3/2002

Location: Buffalo, Erie, NY

Summary: John Cipollina, 41, who is diagnosed with paranoid
schizophrenia, spent four months in jail after he attacked his parents during a
car ride near their North Buffalo, NY home in March, 2002, authorities said.
According to police statements, 65-year-old Rosario Cipollina told of how his
son gave him a black eye and was prone to throwing chairs around their home,
and the chief of the Erie County district attorney's Domestic Violence Bureau
described the Cipollina case as a classic example of elder abuse. After
Cipollina was released from jail, a judge signed an order of protection that
forced him to move out of his parents' house and refrain from all contact with
them. This was eventually modified to allow visitation only. Despite
Cipollina's continued requests to return to his parents' home, City Court Judge
Thomas P. Franczyk delayed making a decision on this until he received more
information on the son's mental condition and medication. Rosario Cipollina,
however, told Judge Franczyk that he did not object to his son's return, but
wanted "to make sure he's taking his medication". Source: Buffalo
News (New York), April 7 & May 4, 2003

Date: 3/2001

Location: , , NY

Summary: Juan Arequipa, 49, spiked a bottle of Coca-Cola with
cyanide and tried to get his unsuspecting teenage children to join him in a
fatal toast. Fortunately, both children survived. After Arequipa's son saw his
father and sister were getting sick and collapsing, he called 911. The father
and daughter were unconscious when ambulance workers arrived, and Arequipa
later died. His daughter was in critical but stable condition the next day.
Police sources stated that Arequipa was distraught and depressed. Family
members stated that he had spoken of suicide and was being treated with
medication for depression. Source: Newsday, March 24, 2001

Date: 1/2002

Location: Rockaway Park, Queens, NY

Summary: Timothy Fahy, 18, is accused of shooting Officer Kevin
Boyle, 43, in the leg during a standoff in Rockaway Park on January 31, 2002.
Fahy has remained at Kings County Hospital Center undergoing psychiatric
evaluation since the shooting and is awaiting arraignment. Police sources said
Fahy allegedly stopped taking his Risperdal, a drug used to treat
schizophrenia, the day before the incident. They also said it appears that Fahy
had been receiving treatment for mental illness at St. John's Episcopal
Hospital in Far Rockaway. Officials from the Queens district attorney's office
said Fahy will be charged with attempted murder, attempted aggravated assault
and criminal possession of a weapon. Source: Newsday (New York, NY), February
2, 2002

Date: 2/2001

Location: Bronx, Bronx, NY

Summary: Susan Mooney, 36, who police say has a history of
psychiatric problems, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder for
smothering her 7-month-old son on February 25, 2001. Mooney had been
hospitalized twice in the weeks prior to her son's death, once at the request
of her family and once after she called police and requested the death penalty
for herself. The baby's father reported that Mooney, his common-law wife of 12
years, began to act strangely after the birth of their second child. Mooney's
attorney's claim she was suffering from post-partum psychosis. Source: The New
York Times, February 26, 2001, p. B5 The Daily News, October 3, 2002

Date: 10/2001

Location: Bronx, Bronx, NY

Summary: Police killed a mentally ill Bronx man who shot and
injured his sister, Angelika Brinker, 38, and his roommate, Shamula Subaka, 41.
Police said the shooting occurred because Malik Mustafa was pointing a pistol
at his sister's head and refused to yield. Mustafa, 36, has a history of
psychological problems. Police speculate Mustafa's failure to take his
medication triggered this incident. Source: Newsday

Date: 4/2001

Location: Rochester, Monroe, NY

Summary: Kenneth Jerome Taylor, of Rochester, NY, pleaded not
guilty by reason of mental disease or defect for slashing the throat of
four-year-old Keyanna Hill on April 12, 2001. Hill was hospitalized for several
days, but survived the attack. At trial, the judge accepted Taylor's plea and,
pending a forensic evaluation, could commit Taylor to a state mental
institution for the rest of his life. Psychiatrists hired by both the state and
defense found that Taylor's illness at the time prevented him from
differentiating between right and wrong during the attack on Hill. Taylor, 39,
suffers from paranoid schizophrenia, court-appointed psychiatrists said. After
he was arrested, he told police that he had been treated for schizophrenia but
no longer needed medication. Source: Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, August
30, 2002 Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, October 12, 2002

Date: 4/2000

Location: Queens, Queens, NY

Summary: James Murphy was shot and killed by police on April 22,
2000 in Queens after assaulting his mother and slitting his own wrists.
Neighbors called 911 after Murphy's mother, Dorothy, 70, fled to a nearby house
to take shelter after a violent fight with her son inside their home. After
Murphy's mother escaped, Murphy went searching for her and then stood in the
middle of their street, screaming. Murphy ran to confront officers who had
pulled up in a patrol car. He pointed his gun at them and refused to drop it
when ordered. He was then shot several times by police officers. Police said he
had a history of mental illness and was admitted to an undisclosed hospital for
psychiatric evaluation April 5 after threatening his mother. Source: Daily
News (New York), April 23, 2000, p. 13

RecordID: 860

Date: 1/2000

Location: , , NY

Summary: Alan Zelencic, 28, was shot and killed by police after he
lunged at them with a 15-inch knife. He had just slashed his mother with a
knife and the police were trying to apprehend him when the shots were fired.
His mother was treated and released. Zelencic didn't have a criminal history,
but he did have a history of mental illness for which he had been treated at
the Long Island Jewish Medical Center in 1991. Police officials said Officers
Caruso and Dudley did not appear to have violated department guidelines that
govern situations in which officers confront emotionally disturbed people.
Source: The New York Times, January 18, 2000, p. 3

Date: 4/2001

Location: , , NY

Summary: Jose Almonte was charged with attempted murder, assault,
weapons possession and endangering the welfare of a child after he attacked
8-year-old Ricky Bermudez in front of their apartment building in April 2001. A
sergeant with the police emergency services unit, Brian Wall, said that after
Mr. Almonte barricaded himself in his apartment, it took "some intense
negotiations" first to get him to put his knife down, then to get him to
let the police in. But Mr. Almonte did not resist once the police were in his
apartment, Sergeant Wall said. A cousin of Almonte's said that Almonte had been
diagnosed with schizophrenia six years ago and that he had been hospitalized
several times. Source: The New York Times, April 10, 2001, p. B3

RecordID: 997

Date: 3/2000

Location: Buffalo, Erie, NY

Summary: Fred Magyar, 30, who suffers from mental illness, pleaded
guilty to a charge of disorderly conduct stemming from an arrest for allegedly
stalking a young boy in Buffalo, New York. Chief City Judge Thomas P. Amodeo
sentenced Magyar to time served for the 27 days he spent in jail in March 2000
and to continue taking his prescribed medications and keep up with the mental
health counseling he has been receiving. In addition, Magyar was ordered to
stay away from the boy and his family. Source: The Buffalo News, May 19, 2000,
p. 5C

Date: 11/2001

Location: Brooklyn, Kings, NY

Summary: Clifton Goring, 19, is suspected of fatally beating and
then tossing a homeless woman, Terana Street, 33, off the roof of a five-story
building in Brooklyn after arguing over who would sleep on a landing. He has
been charged with second-degree murder. Police have stated that after beating
Street by punching and kicking her in the throat, Goring believed she was dead
and fled the building, but then returned shortly to remove her pants and shoes
and throw her off the roof to make it look as if she had been raped. Street
died of blunt impact injuries and evidently had known Goring for years.
Goring’s mother and his half-brother have stated that Goring had not been
taking his anti-psychotic medications for the schizophrenia and other mental
problems that he has been treated for since he was 10 years old. In fact, he
had been hospitalized at Kings County Hospital just five days before this
murder after his mother called 911 to complain that Goring was banging on her
door. He was released the next day. Source: Daily News (New York), November
22, 2001

Date: 11/2001

Location: New York, New York, NY

Summary: Jackson Roman, 36, is accused of pushing a 41-year-old
immigrant nurse from Guyana, Latchmie Ramsamy, in front of a subway train in
midtown. Ramsamy survived but part of her left foot was amputated and she
remained in serious condition with a fractured skull, neck and spinal injuries.
Roman was charged with attempted murder, assault and reckless endangerment, and
faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted. Roman has been treated for
schizophrenia and has been in and out of mental institutions since 1988. He has
a particular fascination with subways, as he had blasted a shotgun at a train
14 years ago as well as fondled a passenger in a subway car last year. Roman
was apparently released approximately a month prior to this incident and had
left his supervised mental-health program almost immediately. New York’s
mental-health bureaucracy refuses to state whether or not Roman was on
medication at the time. Source: Daily News (New York), November 22, 2001; The
New York Post, November 24, 2001; The Houston Chronicle, November 21, 2001

Date: 4/2001

Location: , Nassau, NY

Summary: Shaun T. Alexander, a Hofstra University student who was
diagnosed with bipolar disorder, confessed to killing his classmate,
twenty-year old Max B. Kolb, in a motel room. Prosecutors said that Alexander stated
that he asked Kolb to the motel to talk privately about a personal problem and
when Kolb rejected Alexander’s sexual advances, he was stabbed. Kolb's body was
found buried in the backyard of a house Alexander rented in Long Beach. While
in intensive therapy, Alexander stated in an affidavit that he “will take
medication to control [his] illness for the rest of [his] life.” Source: The
New York Times, May 19, 2001

Date: 1/2001

Location: New York, New York, NY

Summary: Timothy Byrne, who suffers from bipolar disorder, was
arrested at New York’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral at a New Year’s Day Mass, where,
during Communion, he tried to slap handcuffs on Edward Cardinal Egan, the
leader of the New York Archdiocese’s 2.3 million Catholics. Byrne claimed that
he was trying to publicize his belief that the story of Christ’s resurrection
was a “mistaken diagnosis” and that Jesus never existed, and that he tried to
make a “citizen’s arrest” against Egan because “Christian judges” kept throwing
his cases out of court. He further insisted that the real Jesus is alive today,
living as a 30-year-old, green-eyed Manhattan woman named Hypacia. A bright
architect before mental illness reduced him to what his worried father calls “a
poor soul who needs some help,” Byrne’s father disclosed that his son had not
been taking his medication for the past few months. Police discovered that
Byrne had been in and out of mental health facilities for more than a year and
was arrested in September 1999 for threatening President Clinton. However,
officials agreed to drop those charges upon Byrne’s referral to a mental-health
facility. Source: The New York Post, January 2, 2001

Date: 3/2002

Location: Lynbrook, Nassau, NY

Summary: Peter John Troy, 35, a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic,
was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and given two life sentences
without parole for killing a Lynbrook, NY, priest and parishioner with a
semi-automatic rifle at morning Mass, then barricading himself in his home in a
seven-hour standoff with police on March 12, 2002. He was also sentenced to a
minimum of 25 years in prison for the attempted first-degree murder of a police
officer during his arrest, and the judge levied a $20,310.10 reimbursement for
the two victims' funeral costs. Psychologist Anthony Santoro, who said he spoke
with Troy on three dates, concluded that Troy was mentally capable of helping
his attorney before and during trial. The conclusion contradicted his
physicians' finding. Against his lawyer's advice, Troy insisted on representing
himself at trial, and refused to use an insanity defense. Prior History:
According to his mother, Troy began showing signs of mental illness while in
college. For the next 15 years, Troy was hospitalized several times and placed
on medication. Twice in 2001, Troy was detained by the police and admitted to
psychiatric hospital wards. But a judge ordered him released, and a county
mental health agency failed to locate him for follow-up care that doctors had
urged. The state's Commission on Quality of Care for the Mentally Disabled
later found that Nassau County "inappropriately" closed his case. The
year before the shootings, Bellevue Hospital Center had told the Nassau County
mental health department that Troy was a candidate for outpatient treatment
under Kendra's Law. Troy's lawyer had sought to have his client declared
incompetent to stand trial, but the judge refused. Saying that Troy had shown
no remorse, the judge called him "extremely dangerous, arrogant, stubborn,
a mean individual hellbent on causing as much pain as you could."
Sunsequent History: In March 2004, the family of one of his victims, Eileen
Tosner, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Nassau County's Department of
Mental Health and the Nassau University Medical Center. Troy was also named in
the suit. Despite a bid by Nassau County to throw out the civil lawsuit, in
July 2004 Supreme Court Justice William LaMarca ruled that the wrongful death
case could move ahead. Troy represented himself in the suit. In 2005, Troy, who
still claimed his innocence, tried to block the suit by refusing to release any
of his mental health records, despite two orders by a state Supreme Court
Justice. Source: Newsday (New York, NY), March 14, 2002; Daily News, March 16,
2002; The New York Times, March 20, 2002; July 31, 2003; Newsday, 2/28/03;
3/11/03; 6/20/03; 6/26/03; 5/17/04; 7/15/04; 5/25/05

Date: 9/2000

Location: Queens, Queens, NY

Summary: Stacy Royster, 17 at the time, is one of five teenagers
involved in the murder of a Chinese food deliveryman September 1, 2000 in
Queens, New York. Royster was involved with a group of teens accused of luring
the man to an abandoned house, stealing two bags of food and bludgeoning him to
death with a brick. All of the teens, including Royster, were charged with
murder. In the days before the crime, Royster -- who suffers from bipolar
disorder with "psychotic features," according to her psychiatric
records -- said she was battling a severe depression brought on by her best
friend's recent departure for college. Her grandmother, Anastacia Brown,
attributed her strange behavior before the murder to the effects of Royster's
stopping her antipsychotic medication two months earlier. Royster, who takes
Lithium to stabilize her mood swings and is currently taking the antipsychotic
medication Seroquel, was hospitalized four times before the killing. She has a
history of cutting herself with knives and razors and attempted suicide while
in jail at Rikers Island. Royster has been offered a 17-year sentence in
exchange for a guilty plea to robbery charges. Her lawyer changed his initial
plan to use an insanity defense. Source: The New York Times, April 26, 2002

Date: 3/2002

Location: New York, New York, NY

Summary: Rev. Julio Torres, 57, and his wife were brutally
attacked in their rectory home on March 31, 2002 by Torres' oldest son, Javier,
27, who was visiting the couple from a halfway house in Baltimore for the
weekend. Javier Torres stabbed his 37-year-old stepmother in the abdomen and
back and his father in five places in the chest and back before fleeing. He was
arrested later that night after surrendering to police near Times Square.
Torres was charged with two counts of attempted murder and is being held on
Rikers Island. Rev. Torres emphasized that his son, who has suffered from
paranoid schizophrenia since he was 19, attacked them in the midst of a
delusional breakdown. Rev. Torres said his son regularly refused to take his
anti-psychotic medicine. As recently as December, 2001, a Maryland judge found
that Torres did not need to be confined to a mental hospital despite
indications that he was homicidal. Source: Daily News (New York), May 6, 2002

Date: 4/2002

Location: Hoosick Falls, Rensselaer, NY

Summary: At 2 a.m. on April 16, 2002, Christine Wilhelm of Hoosick
Falls, NY drowned her 4-year-old son, Luke, and attempted to drown her
5-year-old son, Peter, in a bathtub in the family home. Wilhelm, who has a
history of schizophrenia, pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to three
counts of second-degree murder and one count of attempted second-degree murder,
but was eventually convicted of murder in July 2003. On September 3, she was
given the maximum sentence of 50 years to life by Rensselaer County Court Judge
Patrick McGrath, who told Wilhelm he had "no room for mercy" for her.
Wilhelm had claimed her husband sexually abused the children and the drowning
was an intended "act of mercy" for them. It was later determined that
there was no evidence of abuse. Since her imprisonment at the Rensselaer County
Jail, Wilhelm underwent several disciplinary hearings, was placed on suicide
watch and given antipsychotic medication. During her incarceration, she will be
at a much higher risk for suicide attempts and will be shunned by other
inmates, according to experts. Her attorney says Wilhelm still talks about Luke
as if he's alive and has tried to take her own life in jail. "It's a sad
day for psychiatry because our society seems not to be able to see the forest
for the trees when it comes down to people's mental behavior," said Dr.
Stephen Price, who was the defense team's star witness. Since Wilhelm's
conviction, two social worker's testimonies indicating Wilhelm knew the killing
was wrong have come into question, and the public defender was contemplating a
grand jury investigation. Prior History: Wilhelm had a history of involvement
with child protective services and multiple psychiatric hospitalizations in
both Florida and New York. Prior to the killing, her husband had brought her to
Albany Medical Center, where she was hospitalized in the psychiatric wing for
more than a week. Wilhelm also made contact with Capital Region social services
numerous times - as recently as four days before the killing - telling them she
was afraid her children were in danger. Her mother testified in court that she
had begged her son-in-law to hospitalize Wilhelm just two days before the
drowning, and that Wilhelm was not taking her medication at the time, a fact
confirmed by Kenneth Wilhelm. Subsequent History: In June 2006, Christine
Wilhelm’s last-ditch appeal was making its way through the Appellate Division
of state Supreme Court. Wilhelm’s lawyer, public defender Jerry Frost, was back
in court in Albany arguing that Wilhelm's sentence of 50 years to life in
prison should be reversed and that she should be granted a new trial. Mr. Frost
contended, yet again, that Wilhelm is not guilty by the reasons of her own
insanity. He also reiterated that she belongs in the strict confinement of a
mental institution, not in a prison cell. Subsequent History: On August 24,
2006, an appellate court reversed Christine Wilhelm's 2003 murder conviction
and ordered a new trial for the woman who was found guilty of drowning one son
and trying to drown his brother. The court ruled that Wilhelm's right to
counsel was violated by the testimony of child protective case workers who
interviewed her without a lawyer. Wilhelm, 42, is serving a sentence of 46
years to life in prison. She had stopped taking her medication to treat
paranoid schizophrenia about a month before she held her 4-year-old son, Luke,
under his bathwater on April 15, 2002, prosecutors said. Wilhelm's other son,
Peter, now 9, survived after begging her to let him go. He testified at the
trial that his mother was seeing werewolves on the night she attacked him and
his brother. A five-judge panel of the Appellate Division of state Supreme
Court ruled unanimously that Kathleen McGarry and Casi Maloney of county Child
Protective Services were working with law enforcement when they interviewed
Wilhelm without her lawyer present and reported her comments to the district
attorney's office. They said Wilhelm told them she knew what she was doing was
wrong but did it anyway. The 16-page decision, written by Justice Thomas E.
Mercure, said defense attorney Jerry Frost was correct in arguing that the two
case workers' trial testimony should not have been allowed. It stated that the
CPS workers "had 'a cooperative working arrangement' with and were acting
as agents of the police and prosecutor in interviewing and relaying her
incriminating status." Subsequent History: Christine Wilhelm pleaded not
guilty on September 13, 2006, citing mental illness, in a deal reached with
prosecutors. Wilhelm will be sent to a psychiatric facility where she could
spend the rest of her life. Rensselaer County District Attorney Patricia
DeAngelis agreed to the deal three weeks after an appeals court tossed
Wilhelm's conviction. Judge Patrick McGrath turned Wilhelm over to the state
Commission on Mental Health to be placed in a secure mental facility at the
Mid-Hudson Psychiatric Center in Orange County. Within 30 days, she will get an
examination by two independent psychiatrists. That report will be returned to
the judge who then will have 10 days to schedule a hearing to determine whether
Wilhelm suffers from a dangerous mental disorder that would keep her in the
facility. She will have another evaluation within six months, another within a
year and every two years after that. Source: Albany Times Union (New York),
June 6, 2002 Albany Times Union, 5/29/03, 6/3/03, 6/19/03, 7/8/03, 7/8/06,
8/14/06, 8/25/06, 8/27/06, 8/30/06, 9/13/06, 9/15/06, 9/17/06;Saratogian,
7/10/03; The Daily Gazette, 7/10/03

Date: 1/2000

Location: New York, New York, NY

Summary: Chris Pollard, 21, of Brooklyn, was sentenced after being
convicted of attempted rape, burglary and assault charges related to his attack
on a 49-year-old nanny at the West 46th Street home of Thomas Winberry. On
January 1, 2000, Pollard was sent to Winberry's home to deliver a package and attacked
and choked the nanny after forcing his way into the house. Winberry returned
home while Pollard was there, and Pollard attacked him as well, slashing him
across the face, inflicting a gash that required 50 stiches to close. State
Supreme Court Justice Bonnie Wittner said psychiatric tests show that Pollard
has "a major psychotic disorder, possibly schizophrenia," and that
"he is a threat to himself and others." The judge designated Pollard
a "predicate violent felon", directed that he receive psychiatric
treatment in prison and be supervised for five years after his release, and
ordered him registered as a sex offender. Source: The Associated Press,
October 20, 2000

Date: 5/2004

Location: New Rochelle, Westchester, NY

Summary: Thomas Hollis, a 53-year-old man with schizophrenia,
punched Sgt. Olivia Coughlin on May 7, 2004 in New Rochelle, NY, permanently
injuring her back and forcing her into retirement from the police department.
Hollis was acting strangely across the street from Police Headquarters when
Coughlin drove up to him to see what was wrong. Hollis grabbed Coughlin through
the car window and tried pulling her out. When Coughlin struggled to get free
of Hollis, he punched her in the head and ran off. Then he cut himself punching
a window at a funeral home and was arrested at a hospital after police linked
him to the attack on Coughlin. Subsequent History: On March 1, 2005, Hollis
pleaded not responsible by reason of mental illness to the assault charge after
doctors for the defense and prosecution agreed that his mental illness had kept
him from understanding what he was doing. State Supreme Court Justice Janet
DiFiore ordered him into the custody of the state Department of Mental Health.
He will be evaluated routinely to determine if he remains a threat to the
community. Prior History: Hollis has a history of mental illness since the late
1970s and has had 31 convictions, mostly for misdemeanors, during the past 35
years. Source: The Journal News (NY) March 1, 2005

Date: 3/2005

Location: New York, , NY

Summary: On March 28, 2005, a homeless man was arrested for trying
to smuggle a BB gun into a federal building in New York City so he could shoot
Social Security clerks for cutting off his benefits. Daniel O'Brien, 38, told
investigators he brought the weapon "so he could intimidate Social
Security employees if necessary," but added he had no qualms about using
it. O'Brien, who suffers from bipolar disorder and lives in a homeless shelter
on Staten Island, was being held without bail by the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. He
was arrested by the Federal Protective Service and arraigned before a federal
magistrate. Prior History: Law enforcement sources said O'Brien had served time
in federal prison previously. His name was on a Secret Service watch list because
he had made verbal threats against President Bush in 2002. Source: New York
Daily News, March 29, 2005

Date: 4/2005

Location: New York, , NY

Summary: Russell Martinez, 41, an emotionally disturbed Rhode
Island man disrupted Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral on April 4, 2005 trying to
get a letter to Cardinal Edward Egan in which the man demanded to be the next
Pope. Police responded and escorted Martinez, of Warwick, R.I., out of the
cathedral about 6:45p.m. He was brought to Bellevue Hospital for psychiatric
evaluation. As Egan celebrated Mass, Martinez shouted and tried to give him a
letter with instructions on who should be Pope John Paul II's replacement.
Martinez, an honors graduate of Boston University, suffered from schizophrenia,
and had been off his medication for about a year, his parents said. Source:
New York Daily News, April 5, 2005

Date: 8/2004

Location: Elmhurst, Queens, NY

Summary: On August 6, 2004, Robert Marshall, diagnosed with
bipolar disorder, attacked 88-year-old Antoinette Russo and then smothered her
with a mattress when she surprised him as he was robbing her home. Marshall
helped himself to lunch and a shower as Russo lay dying. "I left with 20
bucks, a full stomach and a bath," he told police. Subsequent History: On
April 6, 2005, the 25-year-old Marshall was declared incompetent to stand trial
and ordered to a psychiatric center. A psychiatric report found that Marshall
suffered from drug addiction and several psychiatric disorders, including
bipolar disorder. Marshall had served time on robbery, drugs and weapons
charges. Subsequent History: On June 29, 2011, 31-year-old Robert Marshall was
sentenced to 15 years in prison. Until recently, doctors had considered the
bipolar Marshall mentally unfit to stand trial for the August 2004 slaying.
After he was declared fit, he pleaded guilty. Source: New York Daily News,
4/7/05; New York Daily News, 6/30/11

Date: 4/2005

Location: Rocky Point, Suffolk, NY

Summary: John Cox, 39-year-old man with a long history of mental
illness, died on April 22, 2005 after an altercation with Suffolk County (NY)
police, in which he was shocked five times with a Taser. Police had responded
to a 911 call made by someone inside Cox's girlfriend's house in Rocky Point,
NY after Cox became agitated. One witness said the trouble started because Cox
had forgotten to take his medication that day and began raving and punched a
wall, but Cox' s brother said he had taken his medication. Suffolk police said
that it took nine officers to subdue Cox, and the Taser gun did not affect him.
All nine officers were treated and released for minor injuries. Cox, who had
alcohol and cocaine in his blood at the time of his death, had been taking
Zyprexa for his schizophrenia and acute bipolar mania, said his brother. Prior
History: At 20, Cox had his first problem with police, which ended in a
conviction for misdemeanor harassment in 1985. By the time he died, he had
accumulated 22 convictions, mostly disorderly conduct and harassment. Although
he never served more than a month at a time, Cox became a frequent visitor to
the Suffolk County jail in Riverhead until the late 1990s. Cox was also often a
patient at the Kings Park Psychiatric Center and the Stony Brook University
Hospital. His last hospitalization at the Kings Park facility was in early
2005, when he stayed for 30 days, then moved into a halfway house. Source:
Long Island Newsday, April 25, 2005; Long Island Newsday, April 30, 2005

Date: 4/2005

Location: Rocky Point, Suffolk, NY

Summary: John Cox, 39-year-old man with a long history of mental
illness, died on April 22, 2005 after an altercation with Suffolk County (NY)
police, in which he was shocked five times with a Taser. Police had responded
to a 911 call made by someone inside Cox's girlfriend's house in Rocky Point,
NY after Cox became agitated. One witness said the trouble started because Cox
had forgotten to take his medication that day and began raving and punched a
wall, but Cox' s brother said he had taken his medication. Suffolk police said
that it took nine officers to subdue Cox, and the Taser gun did not affect him.
All nine officers were treated and released for minor injuries. Cox, who had
alcohol and cocaine in his blood at the time of his death, had been taking
Zyprexa for his schizophrenia and acute bipolar mania, said his brother. Prior
History: At 20, Cox had his first problem with police, which ended in a
conviction for misdemeanor harassment in 1985. By the time he died, he had
accumulated 22 convictions, mostly disorderly conduct and harassment. Although
he never served more than a month at a time, Cox became a frequent visitor to
the Suffolk County jail in Riverhead until the late 1990s. Cox was also often a
patient at the Kings Park Psychiatric Center and the Stony Brook University
Hospital. His last hospitalization at the Kings Park facility was in early
2005, when he stayed for 30 days, then moved into a halfway house. Source:
Long Island Newsday, April 25, 2005; Long Island Newsday, April 30, 2005

Date: 5/2004

Location: Sparta, Livingston, NY

Summary: In May 2004, 18-year-old Nathan Dewispelare admitted that
he used a shotgun to kill his mother, Lizbeth, in the family home in Sparta,
NY. Dewispelare, who suffers from schizophrenia, attacked his mother after she
caught him trying cut a Ritalin pill and take it. A dispute between mother and
son ensued. Hours later, Dewispelare shot his mother. Subsequent History: On
May 5, 2005, Dewispelare pleaded guilty to manslaughter for shooting and
killing his mother. He will serve 15 years in prison and five years parole. A
Livingston County grand jury had indicted Dewispelare and reported there was
enough evidence in the case to charge him with murder. However, after the
victim's family advocated leniency for Dewispelare, he agreed to plead guilty to
manslaughter. Source: RNEWS-TV, May 5, 2005

Date: 5/2004

Location: Buffalo, Erie, NY

Summary: Kirsten M. Vanderlinde, a 36-year-old North Buffalo, NY
resident, was charged with murdering her 7-month-old daughter, Melissa, on May
27, 2004 by repeatedly slamming the baby into a sidewalk. Vanderlinde, who has
schizophrenia, had stopped taking her medication about two weeks before the
murder. Vanderlinde had been diagnosed in her mid-twenties with the illness and
hospitalized multiple times. She was charged with second-degree murder and
placed on a suicide watch. Shortly before the attack, a police officer drove
Vanderlinde home after finding her walking around outside in her nightgown,
carrying her baby. The officer said she went with Vanderlinde into her apartment,
where she said Vanderlinde answered questions appropriately. Subsequent
History: On March 8, 2005, Vanderlinde was found not guilty by reason of
insanity. Erie County Judge Shirley Troutman, who heard the case without a
jury, cited "voluminous" records that documented Vanderlinde's
frequent psychiatric hospitalizations in the years before the attack, as well
as her behavior in the days that followed. While in jail, Vanderlinde tried
eating a mattress and drank from a toilet, appeared to rock and feed an
invisible baby and asked to make a phone call to check on Melissa, the judge
noted. She ordered Vanderlinde committed to a secure mental health institution
and further psychiatric evaluation. Prior History: After Vanderlinde became
pregnant in early 2003, she went off at least some of her medication because
she feared it could harm her unborn child, several sources said. She also
stopped taking her medication several other times, deciding on her own that she
didn't want to take it, her friend Shirley Ford said. "She'd be suicidal.
She'd become real agitated . . . She was a totally different person when she
was off her medication," Ford said. More than once, paramedics took her to
Erie County Medical Center or Buffalo General Hospital. Source: Buffalo News
(NY), June 6, 2004; Brattleboro Reformer (AP), March 1, 2005; Long Island
Newsday, March 8, 2005

Date: 4/2002

Location: Elmsford, Westchester, NY

Summary: Dennis Morgan, a man suffering from paranoid
schizophrenia who took daily medication for about 20 years, was charged with
arson and assault after he set fire to the apartment he shared with his
terminally ill, mother, who also suffered from schizophrenia, in a 14-unit
building in Elmsford, NY in April 2002. The blaze injured two firefighters and
endangered building residents. After the fire, nurses discovered puncture
wounds on his mother's stomach. She told them her son had stabbed her the night
before, and Morgan was then also charged with felony assault. His lawyer argued
that Morgan's mental condition was a mitigating factor and tried to get him
treatment and probation. Westchester County District Attorney Jeanine Pirro
insisted he serve at least five years in prison, and Morgan accepted the plea
bargain, unwilling to have the court case continue with no resolution for an
extended period of time. Morgan's court-appointed attorney, Robin Bauer, said
his case is a prime example of the need for a mental-health court in the
county. Several people familiar with his case believe that Morgan stabbed his mother
and lit the fire in a failed attempt at mercy killing and suicide. Subsequent
History: Morgan, 51, committed suicide on December 8, 2003 at the Clinton
Correctional Facility in Dannemora, NY, where he had been placed in the general
prison population several months earlier, despite his mental illness and two
known previous suicide attempts. Morgan was found alone in his cell, bleeding
from a cutting wound to his throat. He died several hours later. Source: White
Plains Journal News, April 14, 2004 The Journal News.com, April 19, 2004

Date: 4/2002

Location: Elmsford, Westchester, NY

Summary: Dennis Morgan, a man suffering from paranoid
schizophrenia who took daily medication for about 20 years, was charged with
arson and assault after he set fire to the apartment he shared with his
terminally ill, mother, who also suffered from schizophrenia, in a 14-unit
building in Elmsford, NY in April 2002. The blaze injured two firefighters and
endangered building residents. After the fire, nurses discovered puncture
wounds on his mother's stomach. She told them her son had stabbed her the night
before, and Morgan was then also charged with felony assault. His lawyer argued
that Morgan's mental condition was a mitigating factor and tried to get him
treatment and probation. Westchester County District Attorney Jeanine Pirro
insisted he serve at least five years in prison, and Morgan accepted the plea
bargain, unwilling to have the court case continue with no resolution for an
extended period of time. Morgan's court-appointed attorney, Robin Bauer, said
his case is a prime example of the need for a mental-health court in the
county. Several people familiar with his case believe that Morgan stabbed his
mother and lit the fire in a failed attempt at mercy killing and suicide.
Subsequent History: Morgan, 51, committed suicide on December 8, 2003 at the
Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, NY, where he had been placed in the
general prison population several months earlier, despite his mental illness
and two known previous suicide attempts. Morgan was found alone in his cell,
bleeding from a cutting wound to his throat. He died several hours later.
Source: White Plains Journal News, April 14, 2004 The Journal News.com, April
19, 2004

Date: 4/2002

Location: Elmsford, Westchester, NY

Summary: Dennis Morgan, a man suffering from paranoid
schizophrenia who took daily medication for about 20 years, was charged with
arson and assault after he set fire to the apartment he shared with his
terminally ill, mother, who also suffered from schizophrenia, in a 14-unit
building in Elmsford, NY in April 2002. The blaze injured two firefighters and
endangered building residents. After the fire, nurses discovered puncture
wounds on his mother's stomach. She told them her son had stabbed her the night
before, and Morgan was then also charged with felony assault. His lawyer argued
that Morgan's mental condition was a mitigating factor and tried to get him
treatment and probation. Westchester County District Attorney Jeanine Pirro
insisted he serve at least five years in prison, and Morgan accepted the plea
bargain, unwilling to have the court case continue with no resolution for an
extended period of time. Morgan's court-appointed attorney, Robin Bauer, said
his case is a prime example of the need for a mental-health court in the
county. Several people familiar with his case believe that Morgan stabbed his
mother and lit the fire in a failed attempt at mercy killing and suicide.
Subsequent History: Morgan, 51, committed suicide on December 8, 2003 at the
Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, NY, where he had been placed in the
general prison population several months earlier, despite his mental illness
and two known previous suicide attempts. Morgan was found alone in his cell,
bleeding from a cutting wound to his throat. He died several hours later.
Source: White Plains Journal News, April 14, 2004 The Journal News.com, April
19, 2004

Date: 4/2002

Location: Elmsford, Westchester, NY

Summary: Dennis Morgan, a man suffering from paranoid
schizophrenia who took daily medication for about 20 years, was charged with
arson and assault after he set fire to the apartment he shared with his
terminally ill, mother, who also suffered from schizophrenia, in a 14-unit
building in Elmsford, NY in April 2002. The blaze injured two firefighters and
endangered building residents. After the fire, nurses discovered puncture
wounds on his mother's stomach. She told them her son had stabbed her the night
before, and Morgan was then also charged with felony assault. His lawyer argued
that Morgan's mental condition was a mitigating factor and tried to get him
treatment and probation. Westchester County District Attorney Jeanine Pirro
insisted he serve at least five years in prison, and Morgan accepted the plea bargain,
unwilling to have the court case continue with no resolution for an extended
period of time. Morgan's court-appointed attorney, Robin Bauer, said his case
is a prime example of the need for a mental-health court in the county. Several
people familiar with his case believe that Morgan stabbed his mother and lit
the fire in a failed attempt at mercy killing and suicide. Subsequent History:
Morgan, 51, committed suicide on December 8, 2003 at the Clinton Correctional
Facility in Dannemora, NY, where he had been placed in the general prison
population several months earlier, despite his mental illness and two known
previous suicide attempts. Morgan was found alone in his cell, bleeding from a
cutting wound to his throat. He died several hours later. Source: White Plains
Journal News, April 14, 2004 The Journal News.com, April 19, 2004

Date: 8/2002

Location: Watkins Glen, Schuyler, NY

Summary: Chad Mack pleaded guilty to murder and robbery charges in
the August 2002 shooting death of Teresa M. Ford in Schuyler County, NY. The
assault, which took place in Ford's home, ended a two-day crime spree that
began in Cattaraugus County earlier that month. Mack and two other accomplices
allegedly robbed a cab driver in Ellicottville, NY before murdering Ford. Mack
later asked to recant his plea, claiming he didn't understand the court
process. Since his arrest in September 2002, Mack told four psychiatrists and
one psychologist that he heard voices, saw spirits and had flashbacks about
what happened the night Ford died, and believed the spirits interfered with his
defense. Schuyler County Judge J.C. Argetsinger eventually ruled that Mack
understood what he was doing when he pleaded guilty. He based his decision
primarily on the testimony of psychiatrists Mihai Dasculu, of the Schuyler
County Mental Health Department, and Gary Horwitz, a forensic psychiatrist from
Rochester hired by the state to examine Mack. Dasculu, who had treated Mack
since November 2002, concluded that he suffered from schizophrenia but nevertheless
was competent to proceed with trial. Subsequent History: Argetsinger's ruling
that Mack will not be able to withdraw his courtroom confession means Mack
faces 25 years to life in prison for second-degree murder and first-degree
robbery. Subsequent History: In April 2007, Chad Mack, convicted of a 2002
murder, was granted an appeal. Mack was sentenced to 25 years to life for his
role in the robbery and murder of Teresa Ford, a Town of Orange woman. The
appeal was granted because after Mack pleaded guilty he requested a change of
council that was initially denied. Six months later, Mack was finally granted
Susan Betzjitomir as his legal council. Betzjitomer said she is thrilled with
the appellate court's decision. "There were a lot of procedures that happened
in between that didn't go his way and I argued he would have had a much better
chance if the attorney he wanted had represented him," said Betzjitomir.
The case will resume from the point where Mack requested a change of council.
Betzjitomir said Mack suffers from diagnosed schizophrenia, and at the time of
his plea he wasn't in his right mind. "Chad Mack was sentenced harshly and
he was sentenced with no plea bargain I think which is evidence that he really
didn't know what he was doing," said Betzjitomir. Prior History: In June
2004, Chad Mack and Elizabeth Kettle were found guilty of robbing and murdering
Ford. Source: Star-Gazette (Elmira, NY), 5/1/04; The Leader (NY), 6/5/04;
WENY.com, 4/6/07

Date: 5/2004

Location: Brooklyn, Kings, NY

Summary: A man with mental illness who was high on marijuana
attacked his mother with a kitchen knife in her Brooklyn, NY home on May 7,
2004. The victim, 47-year-old Jamaican immigrant Yvonne Stewart, was stabbed in
the back and limbs by her son Kevon Stewart, 21. She then walked to her
neighbor's lawn while naked and bleeding. She was critically wounded but
survived the attack. Kevon Stewart was charged with first-degree assault and
weapon possession. Family members said Kevon Stewart, who had no prior arrests,
has schizophrenia with a history of drug abuse. Eyewitnesses described him as
"totally deranged." Source: The New York Post May 8, 2004

Date: 5/2004

Location: Brooklyn, Kings, NY

Summary: New York City police arrested Akeem Capers, 20, on May
14, 2004 for the alleged stabbing death of his grandmother in Brooklyn and the
attempted rape of another woman. Capers, who is from Greensboro, NC, has
schizophrenia and had lived in a group home until early April 2004. Capers was
arrested at a subway station in Manhattan after plain-clothes officers saw him
throw a man onto the tracks, according to police. He was trying to push another
man when officers captured him, police said. Police also reported that Capers'
grandfather had found his 65-year-old wife, Alice Wise, dead on the kitchen
floor on May 13, 2004. She had three stab wounds to her neck and abdomen.
Police said that Capers was also suspected in an assault on a 34-year-old woman
the same day of the stabbing in the condominium complex where his grandparents
lived. Capers had left Greensboro the previous month for an extended visit to
New York to see his dying father. Source: News & Record (Greensboro, NC),
May 15, 2004

Date: 5/2004

Location: Brooklyn, Kings, NY

Summary: New York City police arrested Akeem Capers, 20, on May
14, 2004 for the alleged stabbing death of his grandmother in Brooklyn and the
attempted rape of another woman. Capers, who is from Greensboro, NC, has
schizophrenia and had lived in a group home until early April 2004. Capers was
arrested at a subway station in Manhattan after plain-clothes officers saw him
throw a man onto the tracks, according to police. He was trying to push another
man when officers captured him, police said. Police also reported that Capers'
grandfather had found his 65-year-old wife, Alice Wise, dead on the kitchen
floor on May 13, 2004. She had three stab wounds to her neck and abdomen.
Police said that Capers was also suspected in an assault on a 34-year-old woman
the same day of the stabbing in the condominium complex where his grandparents
lived. Capers had left Greensboro the previous month for an extended visit to
New York to see his dying father. Source: News & Record (Greensboro, NC),
May 15, 2004

Date: 5/2004

Location: Brooklyn, Kings, NY

Summary: New York City police arrested Akeem Capers, 20, on May
14, 2004 for the alleged stabbing death of his grandmother in Brooklyn and the
attempted rape of another woman. Capers, who is from Greensboro, NC, has
schizophrenia and had lived in a group home until early April 2004. Capers was
arrested at a subway station in Manhattan after plain-clothes officers saw him
throw a man onto the tracks, according to police. He was trying to push another
man when officers captured him, police said. Police also reported that Capers'
grandfather had found his 65-year-old wife, Alice Wise, dead on the kitchen
floor on May 13, 2004. She had three stab wounds to her neck and abdomen.
Police said that Capers was also suspected in an assault on a 34-year-old woman
the same day of the stabbing in the condominium complex where his grandparents
lived. Capers had left Greensboro the previous month for an extended visit to
New York to see his dying father. Source: News & Record (Greensboro, NC),
May 15, 2004

Date: 9/2002

Location: Scarsdale, Westchester, NY

Summary: On May 18, 2004, Philip Wald, a bipolar disorder sufferer
from Brooklyn, NY, was convicted of sexual abuse and sentenced to seven years
in state prison for making random obscene phone calls to teenage girls and
forcing them to perform sexual acts with the threat that he was watching and
would punish them if they didn't comply. Wald, 36, pleaded guilty to
first-degree sexual abuse and first-degree coercion in February 2004, admitting
that he threatened six teenage girls. The first victim was a 17-year-old New
Castle girl in September 2001. He made similar calls to two 14-year-old New
Castle girls, a 13-year-old Scarsdale girl, a 12-year-old Mamaroneck girl and a
15-year-old Pleasantville girl. Wald, whose family had tried for years to get him
to stop his manic phone calling, said he needed treatment to help him
understand why he does such things. Wald was miles from any of the victims and
they were never in imminent danger when he made the phone calls during 2001 and
2002. But Assistant District Attorney Laura Murphy charged him with sexual
abuse under the theory that he subjected the girls to physical contact they
would not have engaged in otherwise, and his conviction was believed to be the
first of that nature in New York state. The sexual abuse conviction will also
force him to register as a sex offender when he is released from prison.
Source: The Journal News.com, May 19, 2004

Date: 9/2002

Location: Scarsdale, Westchester, NY

Summary: On May 18, 2004, Philip Wald, a bipolar disorder sufferer
from Brooklyn, NY, was convicted of sexual abuse and sentenced to seven years
in state prison for making random obscene phone calls to teenage girls and
forcing them to perform sexual acts with the threat that he was watching and
would punish them if they didn't comply. Wald, 36, pleaded guilty to
first-degree sexual abuse and first-degree coercion in February 2004, admitting
that he threatened six teenage girls. The first victim was a 17-year-old New
Castle girl in September 2001. He made similar calls to two 14-year-old New
Castle girls, a 13-year-old Scarsdale girl, a 12-year-old Mamaroneck girl and a
15-year-old Pleasantville girl. Wald, whose family had tried for years to get
him to stop his manic phone calling, said he needed treatment to help him
understand why he does such things. Wald was miles from any of the victims and
they were never in imminent danger when he made the phone calls during 2001 and
2002. But Assistant District Attorney Laura Murphy charged him with sexual
abuse under the theory that he subjected the girls to physical contact they
would not have engaged in otherwise, and his conviction was believed to be the
first of that nature in New York state. The sexual abuse conviction will also
force him to register as a sex offender when he is released from prison.
Source: The Journal News.com, May 19, 2004

Date: 9/2002

Location: Scarsdale, Westchester, NY

Summary: On May 18, 2004, Philip Wald, a bipolar disorder sufferer
from Brooklyn, NY, was convicted of sexual abuse and sentenced to seven years
in state prison for making random obscene phone calls to teenage girls and
forcing them to perform sexual acts with the threat that he was watching and
would punish them if they didn't comply. Wald, 36, pleaded guilty to
first-degree sexual abuse and first-degree coercion in February 2004, admitting
that he threatened six teenage girls. The first victim was a 17-year-old New
Castle girl in September 2001. He made similar calls to two 14-year-old New
Castle girls, a 13-year-old Scarsdale girl, a 12-year-old Mamaroneck girl and a
15-year-old Pleasantville girl. Wald, whose family had tried for years to get
him to stop his manic phone calling, said he needed treatment to help him
understand why he does such things. Wald was miles from any of the victims and
they were never in imminent danger when he made the phone calls during 2001 and
2002. But Assistant District Attorney Laura Murphy charged him with sexual
abuse under the theory that he subjected the girls to physical contact they
would not have engaged in otherwise, and his conviction was believed to be the
first of that nature in New York state. The sexual abuse conviction will also
force him to register as a sex offender when he is released from prison.
Source: The Journal News.com, May 19, 2004

Date: 9/2002

Location: Scarsdale, Westchester, NY

Summary: On May 18, 2004, Philip Wald, a bipolar disorder sufferer
from Brooklyn, NY, was convicted of sexual abuse and sentenced to seven years
in state prison for making random obscene phone calls to teenage girls and
forcing them to perform sexual acts with the threat that he was watching and
would punish them if they didn't comply. Wald, 36, pleaded guilty to
first-degree sexual abuse and first-degree coercion in February 2004, admitting
that he threatened six teenage girls. The first victim was a 17-year-old New
Castle girl in September 2001. He made similar calls to two 14-year-old New
Castle girls, a 13-year-old Scarsdale girl, a 12-year-old Mamaroneck girl and a
15-year-old Pleasantville girl. Wald, whose family had tried for years to get
him to stop his manic phone calling, said he needed treatment to help him
understand why he does such things. Wald was miles from any of the victims and
they were never in imminent danger when he made the phone calls during 2001 and
2002. But Assistant District Attorney Laura Murphy charged him with sexual
abuse under the theory that he subjected the girls to physical contact they
would not have engaged in otherwise, and his conviction was believed to be the
first of that nature in New York state. The sexual abuse conviction will also
force him to register as a sex offender when he is released from prison.
Source: The Journal News.com, May 19, 2004

Date: 9/2002

Location: Scarsdale, Westchester, NY

Summary: On May 18, 2004, Philip Wald, a bipolar disorder sufferer
from Brooklyn, NY, was convicted of sexual abuse and sentenced to seven years
in state prison for making random obscene phone calls to teenage girls and
forcing them to perform sexual acts with the threat that he was watching and
would punish them if they didn't comply. Wald, 36, pleaded guilty to
first-degree sexual abuse and first-degree coercion in February 2004, admitting
that he threatened six teenage girls. The first victim was a 17-year-old New Castle
girl in September 2001. He made similar calls to two 14-year-old New Castle
girls, a 13-year-old Scarsdale girl, a 12-year-old Mamaroneck girl and a
15-year-old Pleasantville girl. Wald, whose family had tried for years to get
him to stop his manic phone calling, said he needed treatment to help him
understand why he does such things. Wald was miles from any of the victims and
they were never in imminent danger when he made the phone calls during 2001 and
2002. But Assistant District Attorney Laura Murphy charged him with sexual
abuse under the theory that he subjected the girls to physical contact they
would not have engaged in otherwise, and his conviction was believed to be the
first of that nature in New York state. The sexual abuse conviction will also
force him to register as a sex offender when he is released from prison.
Source: The Journal News.com, May 19, 2004

Date: 9/2002

Location: Scarsdale, Westchester, NY

Summary: On May 18, 2004, Philip Wald, a bipolar disorder sufferer
from Brooklyn, NY, was convicted of sexual abuse and sentenced to seven years
in state prison for making random obscene phone calls to teenage girls and
forcing them to perform sexual acts with the threat that he was watching and
would punish them if they didn't comply. Wald, 36, pleaded guilty to
first-degree sexual abuse and first-degree coercion in February 2004, admitting
that he threatened six teenage girls. The first victim was a 17-year-old New
Castle girl in September 2001. He made similar calls to two 14-year-old New
Castle girls, a 13-year-old Scarsdale girl, a 12-year-old Mamaroneck girl and a
15-year-old Pleasantville girl. Wald, whose family had tried for years to get
him to stop his manic phone calling, said he needed treatment to help him
understand why he does such things. Wald was miles from any of the victims and
they were never in imminent danger when he made the phone calls during 2001 and
2002. But Assistant District Attorney Laura Murphy charged him with sexual
abuse under the theory that he subjected the girls to physical contact they
would not have engaged in otherwise, and his conviction was believed to be the
first of that nature in New York state. The sexual abuse conviction will also
force him to register as a sex offender when he is released from prison.
Source: The Journal News.com, May 19, 2004

Date: 9/2006

Location: Queens, Queens, NY

Summary: Carmine Randazzo Sr., 78, was stabbed five times in the
arm, back and torso on September 16, 2006 after visiting a Queens flea market
during his regular neighborhood stroll. William Scott, 28, allegedly jumped out
from behind a building in Hillcrest and attacked Randazzo without provocation,
a police source said. Scott, described by a relative as schizophrenic and on
medication, was awaiting arraignment on charges of second-degree murder,
assault and criminal possession of a weapon. Scott, who sources said gave a
full confession in Randazzo's murder, has prior convictions for robbery and
criminal possession of a weapon. Prior History: Queens neighbors said Scott had
a history of random public violence - and one woman said he once punched her
husband in the head on the street. "My husband had just gotten his
pacemaker put in. He was just walking to the store. He saw [Scott] and said
hello to him, and [Scott] just cold-cocked him," said neighbor Justine
Cullinan, 64, describing the brutal incident two years ago. "My husband
fell on the ground and lost consciousness for a minute." Cullinan said she
and husband Denis Cullinan, 63, did not report the incident out of sympathy for
Scott's mother, a city correction officer. Other neighbors said Scott would
roam the neighborhood, angrily cursing white people. Galda Rochleder said she
once saw Scott attack a man with a bat, screaming, "You white
m----------r!" "He's always muttering to himself, walking back and
forth, when he sees white people," she said. "He'll say under his
breath "You b-----ds, I hate you." Subsequent History: William Scott,
the alleged assailant, told investigators that voices in his head told him to
attack, a source said. "The guy just went off. It was completely
unprovoked. He just pulled out a knife and started screaming and
stabbing," a police source said. "It's one of those horrible,
freakish things." After a brief standoff, Scott was taken into custody and
given a psychiatric evaluation. Prior History: Scott was admitted to Bellevue
Hospital on September 18, 2006 for observation. He was last in a mental
institution in November 2005 when he was sprung from Creedmoor Psychiatric
Center after a two-year stay, sources said. Scott soon resumed his bizarre
behavior, neighbors and victims said. Neighbors said they watched Scott turn
from a happy-go-lucky boy into a deranged young man who would yell racial slurs
at white neighbors and then attack them. There were a dozen incidents in a
decade, according to police records and witness and victim accounts.
Christopher Rau experienced a 1998 run-in with Scott. Rau said he tried to get
help for Scott, who regularly railed against whites, but never pressed charges.
Rau recalled Scott coming after him with a baseball bat on a summer day eight
years ago. "He called me a white f----t," Rau said. "He would
have killed me if he'd gotten me. I was literally running as fast as I could;
he rounded the corner, went right through the bushes and made a beeline for me.
He swung at me. The only reason he didn't nail me was because I got the door
closed before he could connect," Rau said. Rau, a health professional,
arranged for Scott to be admitted to a mental health facility, but Scott's
mother, Pamela Dunn, didn't want her son committed, he said. Just five days
before Carmine Randazzo’s slaying, Scott allegedly knifed 48-year-old Lawrence
Nelson blocks from where Randazzo was later killed. Nelson escaped with a slash
on his right index finger. Scott was not caught, but Nelson later picked him
out of a lineup after his arrest in Randazzo's slaying, police sources said.
Scott's sister said her younger brother was diagnosed with schizophrenia when
he was in prison for robbery at age 17. He complained that people's
"spirits" were talking to him, but she usually could coax him out of
his delusions, she said. "He's no psycho, he's my brother and he's
ill," said Tamarra Scott. "He's been ill for years, and at the mercy
of institutions his whole life." Source: NY Daily News, 9/17/06, 9/18/06,
9/19/06, 9/21/06; Newsday, 9/18/06, 9/20/06; New York Post, 9/17/06 &
9/18/06

Date: 2/2006

Location: Hillsdale, Columbia, NY

Summary: On February 11, 2006, 23-year-old William S. Demagall
fatally attacked retired high school teacher 56-year-old George Mancini.
Mancini suffered multiple stab wounds to his chest and back but died of blunt
force trauma to the head. After the murder, Demegall set the body on fire to
hide evidence and left with some of Mancini's belongings. Hillsdale
firefighters discovered the body when they were called to put out the fire that
had spread throughout the apartment. Demagall, who has bipolar disorder and
schizoaffective disorder, was arrested in Schodack on unrelated charges on
February 13. Prior History: Prior to the incident, Demagall quit his job and
went to live part-time in the woods. He was hospitalized at least three times
in the three years prior to the murder, most recently on February 3, 2006, when
his strange behavior became so noticeable that his mother and grandmother
applied to have him committed. He escaped the secured psychiatric facility two
days before the murder by squeezing between the bars. At that time, though he
was supposed to be medicated, he was evidently not taking his meds. Demagall’s
father said his son suffers from Bipolar Disorder, marked by episodes of manic
behavior and delusions. Subsequent History: On December 8, 2006, a jury
convicted William S. Demagall of second-degree murder, rejecting his insanity
defense despite extensive psychiatric testimony, family members' observations
of his bizarre behavior and his documented decline into Schizophrenic delusions
during the past three years. Subsequent History: On March 21, 2007, William S.
Demagall was sentenced to the maximum punishment, 25 years to life in prison.
Subsequent History: In April 2009, the Appellate Division of state Supreme
Court overturned William S. Demagall’s murder conviction and ordered a new
trial for the 25-year-old. In its ruling, the Court ordered that Demagall, who
had been incarcerated at Great Meadow Correctional Facility for the past two
years, stand trial again before a different judge due to a “reversible error”
in the court’s handling of the first psychiatrist who examined Demagall.
Subsequent History: On November 9, 2010, William S. Demagall’s retrial began.
Subsequent History: On March 22, 2011, 27-year-old William Demagall was
sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. Demagall had been found guilty in
November of second-degree murder after a second trial for the stabbing and
bludgeoning death of George Mancini. Demagall had escaped from a secure mental
ward at Berkshire Medical Center in Massachusetts and hid in a cave just before
the killing. Demagallstood trial despite being diagnosed as mentally ill.
Mental evaluations presented at trial asserted Demagall suffered from Paranoid
Schizophrenia and believed that he was at various times Robin Hood, Merlin, Sir
Galahad of the Arthurian legends and a ninja. Source: The Independent,
9/19/06, 12/4/06; Berkshire Eagle, 9/21/06, 11/29/06, 11/30/06, 12/6/06,
12/9/06, 12/10/06, 12/14/06, 2/6/07, 3/22/07, 3/23/07; Daily Freeman, 4/3/09;
TimesUnion.com, 11/10/10, 3/23/11

Date: 9/2006

Location: Brooklyn, Kings, NY

Summary: On September 30, 2006, Joseph Bernazard held Phyllis Fine
at knifepoint and threatened to kill her on Brooklyn's trendy restaurant row
before a sharpshooter cop killed him with a single bullet. Fine was within
inches of her attacker when Officer Louis Gubitosi pulled the trigger and
killed the 26-year-old man on the upscale block. Fine said Bernazard, who
moments earlier had sliced another women's neck, never spoke to her as he held
her by the hair. He instead yelled over and over, "Kill me now! I want to
die!" Bernazard's family said he had a history of mental illness and had
taken a turn for the worse recently. "They're after me," he told his
sister Yolanda. The saga began when Bernazard, who was hallucinating and
hearing voices in his head, was taken to Long Island College Hospital on
September 30. But he tore out his IV and walked out of the hospital against
doctors' wishes. He was still wearing his medical bracelet when he was killed.
On the day of the incident, Bernazard grabbed Julie Jacobowitz, 32, a social
worker talking on a cell phone with a friend as she walked home from the gym.
"If they kill me, I won't have to hurt you," Bernazard told
Jacobowitz, police sources said. But as he spoke, he was already slicing into
her neck, causing her to scream in agony. A group of construction workers
confronted Bernazard, who told them, "The cops are going to have to kill
me." When police raced up seconds later, Bernazard pushed the bleeding
32-year-old woman away and ran about 2 blocks to the Met Food Market, where he
grabbed Fine by the hair. "He started yelling, 'I'm going to kill her!'
" Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said. Cops surrounded Bernazard
outside the store. For 10 minutes, the cops tried to reason with Bernazard,
telling him to drop the knife. But he refused and crouched down behind Fine.
After the shooting, an ambulance took Bernazard back to the same hospital he
had walked out of hours before. He was declared dead on arrival. His victims
were not seriously hurt. Source: New York Daily News, October 1, 2006

Date: 9/2006

Location: Brooklyn, Kings, NY

Summary: On September 30, 2006, Joseph Bernazard held Phyllis Fine
at knifepoint and threatened to kill her on Brooklyn's trendy restaurant row
before a sharpshooter cop killed him with a single bullet. Fine was within
inches of her attacker when Officer Louis Gubitosi pulled the trigger and
killed the 26-year-old man on the upscale block. Fine said Bernazard, who
moments earlier had sliced another women's neck, never spoke to her as he held
her by the hair. He instead yelled over and over, "Kill me now! I want to
die!" Bernazard's family said he had a history of mental illness and had
taken a turn for the worse recently. "They're after me," he told his
sister Yolanda. The saga began when Bernazard, who was hallucinating and
hearing voices in his head, was taken to Long Island College Hospital on
September 30. But he tore out his IV and walked out of the hospital against
doctors' wishes. He was still wearing his medical bracelet when he was killed.
On the day of the incident, Bernazard grabbed Julie Jacobowitz, 32, a social
worker talking on a cell phone with a friend as she walked home from the gym.
"If they kill me, I won't have to hurt you," Bernazard told
Jacobowitz, police sources said. But as he spoke, he was already slicing into
her neck, causing her to scream in agony. A group of construction workers
confronted Bernazard, who told them, "The cops are going to have to kill
me." When police raced up seconds later, Bernazard pushed the bleeding
32-year-old woman away and ran about 2 blocks to the Met Food Market, where he
grabbed Fine by the hair. "He started yelling, 'I'm going to kill her!'
" Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said. Cops surrounded Bernazard
outside the store. For 10 minutes, the cops tried to reason with Bernazard,
telling him to drop the knife. But he refused and crouched down behind Fine.
After the shooting, an ambulance took Bernazard back to the same hospital he
had walked out of hours before. He was declared dead on arrival. His victims
were not seriously hurt. Source: New York Daily News, October 1, 2006

Date: 10/2006

Location: Long Island, Queens, NY

Summary: On October 9, 2006, Susanne Carlson, 70, was bludgeoned
to death in her Long Island home by her son. Christopher Carlson, 39, dialed
911 after the attack and told police he had struck his elderly mother in the
head in the bedroom of her West Islip home. Police arrived shortly after 3 a.m.
and found a battered Susanne Carlson dead in her bed - beaten to death with an
old-style military rifle. His attorney, Frank Murphy of Sayville, said his
client suffers from depression and schizophrenia. He had run out of his
medication during the past week, Murphy said. "He's very upset,"
Murphy said. "He's unable to sleep. Unable to eat." At his
arraignment, Carlson was ordered held without bail. Prior History: Christopher
Carlson was unemployed after a short stint in the military and lived with his
mother and younger brother, Eric Carlson. Records show he has previous
convictions for harassment and driving while intoxicated. "I'm shocked,
but then I'm not shocked the way the kids are," said a neighbor. "She
didn't like coming home. She was afraid for her life, basically." Source:
Newsday, October 10, 2006

Date: 8/2006

Location: Queens, Queens, NY

Summary: Matthew Colletta, 34 was charged with second-degree
murder, reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a weapon in connection
with a six-hour shooting spree that left one person dead, at least four
injured, and a trail of shattered glass and bullet-scarred vehicles across
Queens. The police said that Colletta has a history of mental illness. He is
accused of having driven his green 1992 Cadillac through Queens late on August
25 and early on August 26, randomly firing at strangers while under the
influence of cocaine and alcohol, the authorities said. The police were still
searching for a motive. An official with knowledge of the investigation said
Mr. Colletta may have believed he was being threatened by the Bloods, a gang
identified by its red clothing, and that five of the seven vehicles fired on
were red. The shootings began about 7:30 p.m. on August 26 in Maspeth. Andrzej
Leonik, 47, was walking his dog near his house when a stranger pulled up in a
car and shot him in his right knee. At 8:10 p.m. in Long Island City, a gray
livery cab was fired at, the authorities said. Its windshield shattered, but
the driver was not hurt. Next Udai Klemnarine, 22, was shot in the left leg
outside a Chinese restaurant in Ozone Park, the authorities said. The Queens
district attorney said the shooting took place at 9 p.m., though the police
said it was at 9:40 p.m. Later near Forest Park, a brother and sister, aged 22
and 25, were looking for a parking space when bullets shattered the windshield
of their yellow car, the authorities said. They were not hurt, and their names
were not released. The shooting continued, and the gunman seemed to begin
targeting red vehicles. Just before 11 p.m., shots shattered the windows of a
red minivan. Flying glass wounded Ramsampy Veerepen, 23, in the right wrist,
and Adesh Prolwah, 29, in the left arm, the authorities said. Within a few
minutes, Todd Upton, 51, was shot on the Cross Island Expressway. Upton
subsequently died at New York Hospital Medical Center of Queens. Only minutes
later, two shots were fired at the front passenger door of another red minivan
on the Whitestone Expressway. The 27-year-old driver was not hurt. Next, the
police said, gunfire shattered the windows of a red Toyota RAV4 in the
Queensboro Hill area. The Queens district attorney’s office said the
44-year-old driver was not hurt, but the police said he was injured by flying
glass. Finally, about 1:30 a.m., the last victim, an off-duty police
lieutenant, Arnaldo Alvarado of the 76th Precinct in Brooklyn, was fired upon
in Forest Hills, the police said. He, too, was driving a red minivan. The
district attorney’s office said he was hit, but not hurt, by flying glass,
though the police said he was, in fact, injured. By then, police cars and helicopters
were searching for the green Cadillac, and a patrol officer spotted it around
1:40 a.m. near Forest Park, where Colletta was arrested. He pulled his car over
on a one-way street as police officers poured from their cars and blocked him
in, witnesses said. Law enforcement officials said Colletta was taken to a
Queens hospital after his arrest. Prior History: Colletta was arrested a week
prior to the incident on charges of menacing and assault, after his girlfriend
said he threatened her with a hammer, tried to strangle her and dragged her
across the floor. Since then Colletta had been living in his car, the
authorities said. A friend said Colletta had been taking lithium to treat
paranoid schizophrenia. Colletta shares a two-story house with his father in
Woodhaven. He and his girlfriend, Philomenia Zevlakis, 23, who lived two doors
down, often had raucous fights, neighbors said. John Perry, who said he was Mr.
Colletta’s best friend, said Ms. Zevlakis took out a restraining order against
Colletta after the assault. Colletta, who had been released from jail without
bail, was living in his car because his house was too close to hers. Colletta
also was arrested in 2000 on drug possession charges, the district attorney’s
office said, but the outcome of the case was not available. Neighbors painted
contrasting portraits of Mr. Colletta, who they said grew up in the
neighborhood. Margaret-Mary Hasselberg, 79, said he was a tough guy who walked
with a swagger, yet still shoveled snow from her sidewalk and drove her to
church during bad weather. Friends of Mr. Colletta who would not give their
names said he was quiet and hard working but distraught over his deteriorating
relationship with Ms. Zevlakis. Subsequent History: Todd Greenberg, the lawyer
for Matthew Colletta, hinted at an insanity defense as his client was taken to
a mental hospital. "His mental capacity is going to play a part in this
issue on whether he had the intent to commit these crimes," said
Greenberg. "From what I know of Matthew," said the lawyer, "this
is out of character for him." But a police source yesterday raised
questions about Colletta's penchant for violence, saying the 34-year-old
diagnosed schizophrenic should have never been released without bail after
allegedly assaulting his girlfriend on Aug. 20. "It wasn't like it was his
first time in trouble," the source said of Colletta, who has a past drug
conviction. Prosecutors said yesterday they requested $1,000 bail in the
assault case. They noted the Queens man had no prior convictions for violent
crimes. Colletta's arraignment was postponed as he was sent to a psychiatric
facility, officials said. Greenberg said Colletta had been in and out of mental
hospitals for years, including a stint at Queens' Creedmoor Psychiatric Center.
"He's going to be held responsible either being confined to a psychiatric
institution or being confined to a prison cell," said Queens District
Attorney Richard Brown. The spree's first victim, Andrzej Leonik, 46, told the
Daily News yesterday he was wearing a red shirt when he was shot while walking
his dog in Maspeth on Friday night. Colletta told cops he fired at Leonik
because he thought the "devil dog" was about to attack a baby, a
police source said. Leonik said a neighbor was petting Sonya, his harmless Boston
terrier. "This guy must have been on drugs or sick or something,"
Leonik said. Subsequent History: Matthew Colletta, 34, the suspect in a weekend
shooting spree in Queens that killed one man and injured five was pulled out of
the jailhouse booking system for psychiatric evaluation at Bellevue Hospital
Center, and the suspect’s lawyer said that he expected to base the man’s
defense on his mental condition. Colletta was under observation at the
hospital, where he was taken after becoming disruptive while in custody on
Saturday night, said Richard A. Brown, the Queens district attorney.
Prosecutors added weapons and drug charges to the counts against Mr. Colletta
after the police found a second loaded gun in his 1992 Cadillac and cocaine in
his pants pocket, Mr. Brown said. Mr. Colletta had already been charged with
second-degree murder, reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a
weapon. Mr. Colletta’s lawyer, Todd D. Greenberg, said his client had been
hospitalized in the past and had been given a diagnosis of paranoid
schizophrenia. Mr. Greenberg said that “He has been told what happened. He
feels terrible about it. He says he would never hurt anybody. But I don’t think
he has an awareness of his actions without being told.” He said he left his meeting
with his client “more convinced” that Mr. Colletta was suffering from a mental
illness at the time of the shooting spree. “It confirms in my mind that he was
delusional and extremely, extremely paranoid. That fits in with his diagnosis
and contributed to his actions,” Mr. Greenberg said. He said that he was not
sure that Mr. Colletta would be fit for court proceedings and that he expected
to base his legal defense on the argument that Mr. Colletta was not responsible
for his actions by reason of mental disease or defect. Mr. Colletta is to be
arraigned on murder, assault and related charges at Bellevue or in Queens
Criminal Court but must undergo further testing to determine whether he is
competent to stand trial and to participate in his defense, Mr. Brown said. The
police have said that Mr. Colletta spent the week prior to the shooting spree
snorting cocaine and sleeping in his Cadillac. By the morning of August 25, he
appeared testy and erratic to a couple he encountered outside his home. The
couple said they were parked outside his home about 6 a.m. after a night out
when Mr. Colletta, who was watering his hedges, sprayed their cream-colored
car. “I don’t like people parking in front of my house,” he told the couple,
Mr. Madrow said, and continued: “Do you think you have more money than me? Do
you think you’re richer than me?” About 13 hours later, the shooting spree
began. According to the authorities, Mr. Colletta was under the influence of
cocaine and alcohol during the shooting spree, which would have aggravated any
psychotic episode. It was unclear if he had been taking medication lately.
Subsequent History: Matthew Colletta, charged with a drive-by shooting spree in
Queens that left one man dead and at least four others injured, told the police
that he got his gun from Lucifer and that he was reacting to “red cars closing
in,” according to prosecutors at a bedside arraignment on August 29, 2006 at
Bellevue Hospital Center in Manhattan, where he was being held without bail.
Most of the targets were chosen because they were in red vehicles, the police
said. Colletta said he believed he was being threatened by the Bloods gang,
which is identified with the color red. Prosecutors said Colletta described to
police officers “red cars closing in” during the spree, said Marcus Franklin, a
reporter for The Associated Press who was selected to represent fellow
reporters at the arraignment. When arrested, Mr. Colletta gave police
investigators several versions of the events that seemed contradictory and
fantastical at times, prosecutors said. In one version, Mr. Colletta denied
involvement in the spree, telling police that he left his car in the valet
parking lot of a strip club and that “someone must have put the gun there;
that’s not mine.” But he also told police investigators he had been temporarily
living in his car and that he found the gun “in a container,” prosecutors said.
The police have said that Mr. Colletta spent last week snorting cocaine and
sleeping in his car, a Cadillac. Prosecutors said that Mr. Colletta possessed
some cocaine and five bags of angel dust, and that he said he had “borrowed the
gun from Lucifer.” State Supreme Court Judge Justice Fernando Camacho ordered
Mr. Colletta held without bail and be given a psychiatric exam to determine if
he is fit to stand trial. Todd D. Greenberg, a lawyer for Mr. Colletta, said
after the arraignment that his client had a long history of mental illness and
had been in and out of mental hospitals since he was 18. Mr. Colletta was
diagnosed as suffering from paranoid schizophrenia and manic depression,
Greenberg said. Greenberg said that he entered a plea of not guilty for Mr.
Colletta, and that the psychiatric exam would show that Mr. Colletta was
incompetent to stand trial because he did “not understand the nature of the
proceedings” and that he was “not responsible by reasons of mental disease and
defect.” Mr. Greenberg said his client’s mental illness pushed him into taking
drugs, which in turn “exacerbated his paranoia.” “When I spoke to him, I had to
tell him what happened,” Mr. Greenberg said. “When I told him a life was lost,
he was devastated.” Subsequent History: Matthew Colletta was indicted by a
grand jury on charges related to the Aug. 25 Queens shooting spree District
Attorney Richard Brown said on August 31, 2006. Brown, who was still presenting
his case to the grand jury, said once the indictment is filed in the next few
weeks the charges will be made public. Colletta was undergoing psychiatric
examinations ordered by a judge to determine his fitness to stand trial.
Subsequent History: On October 5, 2006, Matthew Colletta, 34, the suspect
authorities believe was behind a deadly six hour bullet barrage seven weeks ago
was arraigned during a brief court appearance. Standing before Judge Robert Hanophy,
Colletta listened to a grand jury’s 57 count indictment brought against him
after being transported to Kew Gardens Supreme Court from Manhattan’s Bellevue
Hospital Center. The indictment listed charges of, among others, murder in the
second degree, attempted murder, assault, criminal possession of a weapon and
criminal possession of a controlled substance. Defense attorney Todd Greenberg
entered a not guilty plea on behalf of his client, who faces 25 years to life
in prison if convicted. In court last week, prosecutors added a 10th incident
to the charges. Jeffrey Cuff, 39, of Westport, Conn., was driving on the Van
Wyck Expressway when Colletta fired upon his black Audi. That incident
undermines original reports that Colletta fired only at red vehicles because he
believed he was being pursued by the Bloods street gang. Cuff was not injured.
After his client’s arrest, Greenberg maintained that Colletta suffered from
serious mental disease and defect. Colletta had been arrested a week earlier on
assault charges stemming from a domestic dispute with his girlfriend, and
Greenberg reported that he was a diagnosed schizophrenic. While reluctant to
detail the specifics of the case he plans to make to jurors, after the Thursday
proceedings Greenberg reiterated that his client’s mental capacity will play
into his argument. Source: New York Times, August 27, 28 & 30, 2006; New
York Daily News, August 27 & 28, 2006; Newsday, August 27, 28 & 30,
2006; Gothamist, August 27, 2006; Houston Chronicle (AP), August 26, 2006;
Boston Herald, 8/29/06; Associated Press, 9/1/06

Date: 10/2006

Location: Plattsburgh, Clinton, NY

Summary: On October 28, 2006, Alphegina "Gina" Snide, 72
was found dead in the bedroom of her Mooers Forks home. She died of multiple
blows to the head. David D. Couture, 28, was accused of her murder. Couture was
brought back from Arizona to New York to face charges of second-degree murder
and third-degree grand larceny in Mooers Town Court. Prior History: Couture was
diagnosed in 2000 with severe bipolar disorder, major depression, social
anxiety and borderline intellectual functioning, according to court records.
But despite the mood disorders, his family and friends maintain that he had
never shown any signs of violence in the past. In 2004, an Administrative Law
judge approved Couture's disability application based on the medical opinions
of five doctors. The doctors concurred with an earlier diagnosis and added that
in 2004 he displayed suicidal ideations, poor sleep, racing thoughts, low
self-esteem, high stress, guilt anxiety, low concentration, low energy and
hypervigilance. In 2002, Couture was prescribed antidepressants and medication
to help minimize the manic episodes. But, according to his family, Couture felt
the side effects drastically affected his daily functioning so he would
sometimes opt not to take them. He had sought additional treatment at CVPH
Medical Center numerous times in the past, the family said, and was twice
admitted to the Mental Health Unit. The other times, he was given additional
prescriptions. According to a statement he gave Plattsburgh City Police about
one day before he allegedly killed Snide, he hadn't been taking his medication
for a long time. "The drinking and smoking has been taking a toll on me. I
haven't been taking my medication at all," he told police after being
charged with stealing from his aunt in Plattsburgh. "I have been feeling
depressed and feeling out a place for a long time." When Couture was
arrested for the Plattsburgh theft, he was about to board a bus that was en
route to Phoenix. He was at the Plattsburgh City Police Station for an hour and
a half, which was when he told police he was depressed. He was released by the
police on his own recognizance, with an appearance ticket for City Court.
Subsequent History: On September 5, 2007, David Couture was sentenced to 32
years to life in prison for murdering a former neighbor with a sledgehammer
when he burglarized her home last year. Couture, who had been in Clinton County
Jail since November, had pleaded guilty earlier this year to killing
72-year-old Alphegina Snide after he crawled through her window to steal money
and jewelry. Source: Plattsburgh Press Republican, 11/4/06, 6/13/07; WSTM TV,
9/6/07

Date: 12/2006

Location: Bronx, Bronx, NY

Summary: Anatoly Dimitriev, a 62-year-old man was shot and killed
in a confrontation with police on December 16, 2006. Neighbors said Dimitriev
appeared to be mentally ill. They saw Dimitriev throwing bottles out his
apartment window and chopping at trees with an ax in the courtyard of the co-op
apartment building where he lived with his 41-year-old son in the city's Bronx
borough. After receiving several emergency calls about an elderly man with a
hatchet, police responded to Dimitriev's apartment building. By the time they
arrived, Dimitriev had barricaded himself in his apartment, holding his son
hostage. Police burst through the apartment door, and Dimitriev fled through a
window onto the fire escape, leaving his unharmed son behind. Police followed
Dimitriev, demanding he lay down the ax. When he began to come at police with
the weapon, an officer shot him. Two bullets struck the 62-year-old in the
abdomen. Dimitriev was taken to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Source: Associated Press, December 18, 2006

Date: 12/2006

Location: Bronx, Bronx, NY

Summary: Anatoly Dimitriev, a 62-year-old man was shot and killed
in a confrontation with police on December 16, 2006. Neighbors said Dimitriev
appeared to be mentally ill. They saw Dimitriev throwing bottles out his
apartment window and chopping at trees with an ax in the courtyard of the co-op
apartment building where he lived with his 41-year-old son in the city's Bronx
borough. After receiving several emergency calls about an elderly man with a
hatchet, police responded to Dimitriev's apartment building. By the time they
arrived, Dimitriev had barricaded himself in his apartment, holding his son
hostage. Police burst through the apartment door, and Dimitriev fled through a
window onto the fire escape, leaving his unharmed son behind. Police followed
Dimitriev, demanding he lay down the ax. When he began to come at police with
the weapon, an officer shot him. Two bullets struck the 62-year-old in the
abdomen. Dimitriev was taken to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Source: Associated Press, December 18, 2006

Date: 12/2006

Location: Buffalo, Erie, NY

Summary: On December 31, 2006, an Erie County sheriff's deputy
fatally shot Roger S. Duchnik after he repeatedly lunged at the deputy and his
partner with a hunting knife. Deputies James Mirusso and Benjamin Pisa were
investigating a complaint from a resident of an apartment complex on North
Buffalo Street who reported that another resident, Duchnik, was threatening
people. The person making the complaint described Duchnik, 52, as mentally ill
and off his medication. The deputies tracked Duchnik to his mother's home on
Springville-Boston Road in Concord, where they encountered him at the bottom of
a steep driveway. They followed Duchnik as he ran up the driveway and ordered
him to take his hands out of his pockets. Duchnik turned back toward the
deputies and pulled out a knife about 8 inches long and began lunging at the
deputies. Mirusso backed up and fell down a 15-foot embankment after Duchnik
swiped near his midsection. Believing his partner had been cut and fearing for
his own life, Pisa fired at least three rounds from his handgun, killing
Duchnik. Source: Buffalo News, January 1 & 3, 2007

Date: 12/2006

Location: Buffalo, Erie, NY

Summary: On December 31, 2006, an Erie County sheriff's deputy
fatally shot Roger S. Duchnik after he repeatedly lunged at the deputy and his
partner with a hunting knife. Deputies James Mirusso and Benjamin Pisa were
investigating a complaint from a resident of an apartment complex on North
Buffalo Street who reported that another resident, Duchnik, was threatening
people. The person making the complaint described Duchnik, 52, as mentally ill
and off his medication. The deputies tracked Duchnik to his mother's home on Springville-Boston
Road in Concord, where they encountered him at the bottom of a steep driveway.
They followed Duchnik as he ran up the driveway and ordered him to take his
hands out of his pockets. Duchnik turned back toward the deputies and pulled
out a knife about 8 inches long and began lunging at the deputies. Mirusso
backed up and fell down a 15-foot embankment after Duchnik swiped near his
midsection. Believing his partner had been cut and fearing for his own life,
Pisa fired at least three rounds from his handgun, killing Duchnik. Source:
Buffalo News, January 1 & 3, 2007

Date: 1/2007

Location: Brooklyn, Kings, NY

Summary: In January 2007, Blondel Lassegue, an emotionally
disturbed Brooklyn man, died of a heart attack after being Maced and Tasered by
the police. A relative called the police when Lassegue was acting up at his
uncle's house in Queens, saying he was depressed and delusional, he had
recently gone off medication for bipolar disorder and depression. The police
had difficulty in restraining 38 year old Lassegue; when the Mace did not
subdue Lassegue, they Tasered him. Lasssegue then had a heart attack and was
pronounced dead at a Long Island Hospital. Four officers were injured and three
were hospitalized with non-serious injuries. Lassegue, who graduated from
Hunter College and was recently ordained as a minister through a church in Las
Vegas, had been upset over the recent deaths of his mother and grandmother.
Lassegue's family says they will be consulting with a lawyer. Source: Gothamist,
January 8, 2007; Precinct Flushing Times, January 25, 2007

Date: 1/2007

Location: Brooklyn, Kings, NY

Summary: In January 2007, Blondel Lassegue, an emotionally
disturbed Brooklyn man, died of a heart attack after being Maced and Tasered by
the police. A relative called the police when Lassegue was acting up at his
uncle's house in Queens, saying he was depressed and delusional, he had
recently gone off medication for bipolar disorder and depression. The police
had difficulty in restraining 38 year old Lassegue; when the Mace did not
subdue Lassegue, they Tasered him. Lasssegue then had a heart attack and was
pronounced dead at a Long Island Hospital. Four officers were injured and three
were hospitalized with non-serious injuries. Lassegue, who graduated from
Hunter College and was recently ordained as a minister through a church in Las
Vegas, had been upset over the recent deaths of his mother and grandmother.
Lassegue's family says they will be consulting with a lawyer. Source:
Gothamist, January 8, 2007; Precinct Flushing Times, January 25, 2007

Date: 2/2007

Location: Hicksville, Nassau, NY

Summary: On February 17, 2007, Harvey L. Holmes III, 42, allegedly
committed a series of assaults, including an attack on an 11-year-old girl. The
attacks on women and the girl happened over a span of a couple hours. The
little girl was grabbed when she entered a supermarket with her mother at 2:15
p.m., Nassau County police said. "He grabbed her from behind, took her and
thrust her up against his body and made kind of a grinding motion against
her,'' police Detective Lt. Kevin Smith said. The other victims, ranging in age
from 19 to 46, were held and fondled in three parking lots and a convenience
store over the next half-hour, police said in a report. Officers found Holmes
driving near a mall, where he hit another car but didn't stop, police said. He
was chased by car before he pulled over, they said. Holmes was charged with
sexual abuse, unlawful imprisonment, endangering the welfare of a child,
menacing and forcible touching, failing to stop for a police officer, and
leaving the scene of an accident. He was to be arraigned on February 17 in
Hempstead. Holmes’ father, Harvey L. Holmes, Jr., said that his son is not a
sexual predator but suffers from mental illness and should not have been
released from a psychiatric ward. The elder Holmes acknowledged that what his
son had done was wrong. But he said there was another side to the story.
"He's very mentally ill, and the system has really not helped him.'' His
son, the elder Holmes said, had received a diagnosis of schizophrenia and was
hospitalized at Nassau University Medical Center's psychiatric unit on December
30 but later released on January 25. He said that his son should never have
been out. Source: Local CBS, 2/19/07

Date: 2/2007

Location: Hicksville, Nassau, NY

Summary: On February 17, 2007, Harvey L. Holmes III, 42, allegedly
committed a series of assaults, including an attack on an 11-year-old girl. The
attacks on women and the girl happened over a span of a couple hours. The
little girl was grabbed when she entered a supermarket with her mother at 2:15
p.m., Nassau County police said. "He grabbed her from behind, took her and
thrust her up against his body and made kind of a grinding motion against her,''
police Detective Lt. Kevin Smith said. The other victims, ranging in age from
19 to 46, were held and fondled in three parking lots and a convenience store
over the next half-hour, police said in a report. Officers found Holmes driving
near a mall, where he hit another car but didn't stop, police said. He was
chased by car before he pulled over, they said. Holmes was charged with sexual
abuse, unlawful imprisonment, endangering the welfare of a child, menacing and
forcible touching, failing to stop for a police officer, and leaving the scene
of an accident. He was to be arraigned on February 17 in Hempstead. Holmes’
father, Harvey L. Holmes, Jr., said that his son is not a sexual predator but
suffers from mental illness and should not have been released from a
psychiatric ward. The elder Holmes acknowledged that what his son had done was
wrong. But he said there was another side to the story. "He's very
mentally ill, and the system has really not helped him.'' His son, the elder
Holmes said, had received a diagnosis of schizophrenia and was hospitalized at
Nassau University Medical Center's psychiatric unit on December 30 but later
released on January 25. He said that his son should never have been out.
Source: Local CBS, 2/19/07

Date: 2/2007

Location: Hicksville, Nassau, NY

Summary: On February 17, 2007, Harvey L. Holmes III, 42, allegedly
committed a series of assaults, including an attack on an 11-year-old girl. The
attacks on women and the girl happened over a span of a couple hours. The
little girl was grabbed when she entered a supermarket with her mother at 2:15
p.m., Nassau County police said. "He grabbed her from behind, took her and
thrust her up against his body and made kind of a grinding motion against
her,'' police Detective Lt. Kevin Smith said. The other victims, ranging in age
from 19 to 46, were held and fondled in three parking lots and a convenience
store over the next half-hour, police said in a report. Officers found Holmes
driving near a mall, where he hit another car but didn't stop, police said. He
was chased by car before he pulled over, they said. Holmes was charged with
sexual abuse, unlawful imprisonment, endangering the welfare of a child,
menacing and forcible touching, failing to stop for a police officer, and
leaving the scene of an accident. He was to be arraigned on February 17 in
Hempstead. Holmes’ father, Harvey L. Holmes, Jr., said that his son is not a
sexual predator but suffers from mental illness and should not have been
released from a psychiatric ward. The elder Holmes acknowledged that what his
son had done was wrong. But he said there was another side to the story.
"He's very mentally ill, and the system has really not helped him.'' His
son, the elder Holmes said, had received a diagnosis of schizophrenia and was hospitalized
at Nassau University Medical Center's psychiatric unit on December 30 but later
released on January 25. He said that his son should never have been out.
Source: Local CBS, 2/19/07

Date: 2/2007

Location: Hicksville, Nassau, NY

Summary: On February 17, 2007, Harvey L. Holmes III, 42, allegedly
committed a series of assaults, including an attack on an 11-year-old girl. The
attacks on women and the girl happened over a span of a couple hours. The
little girl was grabbed when she entered a supermarket with her mother at 2:15
p.m., Nassau County police said. "He grabbed her from behind, took her and
thrust her up against his body and made kind of a grinding motion against
her,'' police Detective Lt. Kevin Smith said. The other victims, ranging in age
from 19 to 46, were held and fondled in three parking lots and a convenience
store over the next half-hour, police said in a report. Officers found Holmes
driving near a mall, where he hit another car but didn't stop, police said. He
was chased by car before he pulled over, they said. Holmes was charged with
sexual abuse, unlawful imprisonment, endangering the welfare of a child,
menacing and forcible touching, failing to stop for a police officer, and
leaving the scene of an accident. He was to be arraigned on February 17 in
Hempstead. Holmes’ father, Harvey L. Holmes, Jr., said that his son is not a
sexual predator but suffers from mental illness and should not have been
released from a psychiatric ward. The elder Holmes acknowledged that what his
son had done was wrong. But he said there was another side to the story.
"He's very mentally ill, and the system has really not helped him.'' His
son, the elder Holmes said, had received a diagnosis of schizophrenia and was
hospitalized at Nassau University Medical Center's psychiatric unit on December
30 but later released on January 25. He said that his son should never have
been out. Source: Local CBS, 2/19/07

Date: 2/2007

Location: Hicksville, Nassau, NY

Summary: On February 17, 2007, Harvey L. Holmes III, 42, allegedly
committed a series of assaults, including an attack on an 11-year-old girl. The
attacks on women and the girl happened over a span of a couple hours. The
little girl was grabbed when she entered a supermarket with her mother at 2:15
p.m., Nassau County police said. "He grabbed her from behind, took her and
thrust her up against his body and made kind of a grinding motion against
her,'' police Detective Lt. Kevin Smith said. The other victims, ranging in age
from 19 to 46, were held and fondled in three parking lots and a convenience
store over the next half-hour, police said in a report. Officers found Holmes
driving near a mall, where he hit another car but didn't stop, police said. He
was chased by car before he pulled over, they said. Holmes was charged with
sexual abuse, unlawful imprisonment, endangering the welfare of a child,
menacing and forcible touching, failing to stop for a police officer, and
leaving the scene of an accident. He was to be arraigned on February 17 in
Hempstead. Holmes’ father, Harvey L. Holmes, Jr., said that his son is not a
sexual predator but suffers from mental illness and should not have been
released from a psychiatric ward. The elder Holmes acknowledged that what his
son had done was wrong. But he said there was another side to the story.
"He's very mentally ill, and the system has really not helped him.'' His
son, the elder Holmes said, had received a diagnosis of schizophrenia and was
hospitalized at Nassau University Medical Center's psychiatric unit on December
30 but later released on January 25. He said that his son should never have
been out. Source: Local CBS, 2/19/07

Date: /2002

Location: Northport, Suffolk County, NY

Summary: Cindy Bernhardt, 38, of Northport, NY, was arraigned in
Suffolk County Court on charges of second-degree conspiracy and criminal
solicitation for enlisting the services of what she believed to be a hit man to
kill her husband, Thomas Bernhardt. The hit man was actually an undercover
police officer. She could be sentenced to a maximum of 8 to 25 years in prison
if convicted. Bernhardt suffers from bipolar disorder according to her niece,
Stephanie Anaya, who lived with the couple for years. Anaya said her aunt has
not always acknowledged her mental illness. Bernhardt's lawyer said he was unfamiliar
with his client's psychiatric history, but said she does take antidepressants.
Source: Newsday, September 4, 2002

Date: 2/2003

Location: Schenectady, Schenectady, NY

Summary: Chevena Polite, 16, has been charged second-degree murder
in the death of a 52-year-old man who police said was lured to an apartment by
Polite and a married couple to have sex and was then beaten to death after a
dispute arose over payment. Hours before the murder on February 1, 2003,
Polite's mother said she went there to rescue her - only to be arrested and
charged with trespassing. Polite, whose mother says she was being drugged and
prostituted by Stacey Adamson, 32, and his wife, Taryn Blair-Admanson, 19,
pleaded not guilty at her arraignment and was sent to the Schenectady County
jail without bail. The three alleged killers drove victim Daniel Jamison's body
to Queens, left it in a trash bin and drove off in Jamison's sport utility
vehicle. They were arrested February 10, 2003 in Eastland, Texas. Polite's
mother says that since Polite was arrested, her daughter has been denied her
medication for bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Polite denied involvement in
the murder. Source: The Times Union (Albany, NY) February 28, 2003 The Times
Union (Albany, NY) March 13, 2004

Date: 5/2003

Location: Mastic, Suffolk, NY

Summary: William Sancimo, 52, was charged with second-degree
murder in the stabbing death of his mother, Jennie Citera, 73, on May 6, 2003
in her Mastic, New York home. Sancimo was arrested a day after his mother was
found dead with more than 80 stab wounds in her face and torso, and he pleaded
not guilty at his arraignment in Suffolk County Court. Sancimo has suffered
from manic depression, paranoia and schizophrenia for most of his life, his
brother said, and had a history of hospitalizations since age 15. Police said
Sancimo had been a patient at Pilgrim State Psychiatric Center for six months
shortly before Citera's murder. Prior to their mother's death, Sancimo's
brother said state officials were unresponsive when he called them to try to
get Sancimo back into the hospital after his February 2003 release. Citera's
family filed notice of their plan to sue New York State and Pilgrim State
Hospital for failing to properly treat and monitor Sancimo following his release.
A judge ruled in August, 2003 that Sancimo was mentally imcompetent to stand
trial and was to undergo further psychiatric evaluation for four months. At the
end of that period, Acting State Supreme Court Justice Michael Mullen will
determine if Sancimo is capable of going forward. Since Sancimo's arraignment,
his attorney Anthony La Pinta has maintained that his client is not mentally
stable. In July, 2003, Sancimo attacked a psychiatrist at Kirby Forensic
Psychiatric Center in Manhattan as the doctor was evaluating him. Assistant
District Attorney Janet Albertson said she did not object to Mullen's ruling.
Source: Newsday (New York), June 7, 2003 Newsday, June 27, 2003 Newsday, August
21, 2003

Date: 6/2003

Location: Brooklyn, Kings, NY

Summary: Dawn Mitchell, 46, was charged with fatally stabbing her
sister, Ruby, 49, a Brooklyn church worker, capping a long-running feud during
a furious argument on June 19, 2003. Dawn was also wounded in the neck, but
cops said it was not clear if her injuries were self-inflicted. Neighbors said
Ruby, who had devoted her life to helping her sister battle her mental
problems, had gone to Dawn's house after the younger woman was sent home from
her job at a senior-citizens center because of strange behavior. Ruby, who had
often asked co-workers to pray for her sister, was stabbed in the neck and
chest. Source: New York Post, June 24, 2003

Date: 7/2003

Location: Bronx, Kings, NY

Summary: Morgan McHenry, 35, a man with a history of psychological
problems, attacked his 69-year-old mother in their Bronx, NY home on July 18,
2003. McHenry assaulted his mother during an argument, clawed at her face,
dislodged her right eye and ripped out the left one, police said. Police
arrested McHenry at the scene and charged him with first-degree assault.
McHenry's sister said he suffers from bipolar disorder but was never prescribed
medication. His mother was taken to Jacobi Medical Center, where she was listed
in stable condition but may lose sight in both eyes, police said. McHenry was taken
to Bellevue Hospital for evaluation. Source: Daily News (New York) July 19,
2003 Newsday (New York) July 19, 2003

Date: 7/2003

Location: Freeport, Nassau, NY

Summary: Michelle Sambriski, 34, and her 2-year-old daughter,
Gina, were found dead on July 23, 2003 in Sambriski's cousin's Freeport, NY
home, where they had been living for the past four months. Sambriski's cousin
found Gina's body lying face down in the bathtub, and officers searching the
home later found Sambriski hanging in the garage, police said. Sambriski left
behind a note that provided detectives with enough information to conclude that
she had drowned her daughter and then killed herself. The child's father, Brian
Ramirez, had reported Sambriski to Nassau County child protective services two
months earlier when he learned that she had been evicted from her apartment and
had gone off medication for her bipolar disorder. A subsequent investigation
failed to show any incidents of abuse or neglect and was closed weeks later. In
2002, Sambriski and Ramirez were due in family court to discuss visitation, the
Ramirez family said, but Sambriski never showed up. Ramirez had planned to go
to Nassau Family Court on July 29, 2003, to again petition for visitation.
Ramizer has filed a lawsuit against Nassau County, claiming Child Protective
Services failed to heed his warnings about the mother's instability.
Susbsequent History: An April 2004 report on Gina Sambriski's death by the
state Office of Children and Family Services criticized Nassau's Department of
Social Services for closing the case prematurely - without confirming
Sambriski's psychological history, as the girl's father had detailed. Other
mistakes included the worker's failure to ask Sambriski to release her medical
records to see if she was seeking mental health treatment. The abuse
investigator also never interviewed relatives who would have been familiar with
her emotional problems, even though Ramirez provided a list. Had he contacted
Sambriski's mother, he might also have found out Sambriski had previously
attempted suicide, county police records show. The investigator also never
pursued why she recently had been evicted or even how she was supporting
herself and her daughter. Source: Newsday (New York), July 25, 2003 Newsday,
September 7, 2003 Newsday, August 23, 2004

Date: 1/2001

Location: Ridgewood, Queens, NY

Summary: Luis Perez, 21, who has a history of mental problems,
admitted killing his mother's girlfriend Juanita Hernandez on January 23, 2001,
by stabbing and then strangling her in the Ridgewood, NY, home they all shared.
He was sentenced to 13 years in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter.
Justice Robert J. Hanophy of State Supreme Court also requested that Perez
undergo psychiatric treatment. Hanophy heard two days of testimony, including
comments from Perez's mother, who pleaded with him to spare her son a long
sentence. Perez was diagnosed as paranoid schizophrenic with clinical
depression, and told a psychiatrist that he killed Hernandez because he thought
she had him raped by two men the night before - something both sides say was a
delusion. Prosecution and defense lawyers agreed Perez was mentally ill. But he
didn't fit the typical "not responsible by reason of mental defect or
disease" profile, prosecutor Barry Weinrib said. Source: Daily News (New
York), July 25, 2003 New York Times, July 29, 2003

Date: 8/2003

Location: Bronx, Bronx, NY

Summary: Michael Kim, an emotionally disturbed 22-year-old man,
was shot by police on August 27, 2003 in the Pelham Parkway section of the
Bronx. NYPD officers were called to a home to break up an argument between Kim
and his brother, Chin. According to police, Kim, who suffers from
schizophrenia, paranoia and anxiety, approached officers with a shovel,
prompting them to fire two shots at him. Kim was hit once in the hip and once
in the thigh. He was taken to Jacobi Medical Center where he underwent surgery.
One officer was also taken to the hospital and treated for trauma. Kim's
brother, who summoned police, disputed their account. "It was an
unprovoked, unjustified shooting," said Chin Kim, a college student.
"When I called 911, I told them he was suicidal, he wasn't going to hurt
anybody around him." The family also claims Kim warned police he was
coming out of the building and that he was just holding the shovel. Police say
Kim ignored their orders to drop the 5-foot-long shovel and instead lunged at
them with it. Chin Kim says he never heard the officers give a warning. The Kim
family is now thinking of filing a lawsuit against the NYPD. The day before the
incident, police, paramedics and Michael Kim's case worker had taken him to
Jacobi's mental health emergency room because he was acting irrationally.
Source: News 12 Long Island, August 28, 2003 Daily News (New York), August 29,
2003

Date: 3/2002

Location: Rochester, Monroe, NY

Summary: Necati N. Harsit, a 41-year-old Rochester, NY, man, was
arrested after he allegedly bought an unloaded 9mm pistol from an undercover
Rochester police officer in March 2002 and said that he intended to use it to
kill a City Court Judge. Harsit was later diagnosed with paranoid
schizophrenia, declared mentally unfit for trial and committed to the secure
forensic unit of Rochester Psychiatric Center in August 2002. In September
2003, Justice Kenneth R. Fisher ordered that Harsit be held for one more year
at the Center after hearing evidence that Harsit refused to take medication and
believed he was being kept in custody to prevent him from breaking up a
pornography ring involving Fisher, the prosecutor and his lawyer. In a letter,
Harsit also said that two previous psychiatrists had stolen his body organs and
were selling them to a business school. Fisher found that Harsit didn't
understand the charges against him and couldn't help his lawyer with a defense.
Subsequent History: In September 2004, after hearing testimony that Harsit
suffers from chronic paranoid schizophrenia, state Supreme Court Justice
Kenneth R. Fisher ordered Harsit to be held for up to two more years in the
Rochester Psychiatric Center. Criminal prosecution could resume if Harsit
eventually responds to treatment and is found competent. If convicted, Harsit
could be imprisoned up to 25 years. Subsequent History: Necati N. Harsit was
allowed in June 2006 to plead not responsible by reason of mental disease or
defect for attempting to arrange the death four years ago of Judge Roy Wheatley
King, who had ruled against him in a property dispute. The plea acknowledges
that Harsit, 44, was suffering from a mental defect that caused him to lack
understanding that his actions were wrong, said Assistant District Attorney
Timothy L. Prosperi. Prosecutors authorized the plea after psychiatrists agreed
that Harsit suffered from chronic paranoid schizophrenia at the time of the
incident. The plea ends a criminal case against Harsit that could have sent him
to prison up to 25 years. After accepting the plea, County Court Judge Patricia
D. Marks ordered Harsit to be turned over to state mental health authorities,
who will send him to a secure facility. He can be released, if the authorities
verify that he isn't a danger. Source: Rochester Democrat & Chronicle,
September 3, 2003, September 14, 2004, and June 28, 2006

Date: 9/2003

Location: Queens, Queens, NY

Summary: Kareem Rodriguez, 25, a man who suffers from
schizophrenia, stabbed his nephew's 10-year-old friend in the back outside a
Queens, NY apartment on September 21, 2003. Rodriguez was arrested shortly
after the attack and charged with assault. The boy was taken to the hospital
and stabilized. Rodriquez, who apparently became angered when he found the two
boys jumping on his bed, had been released three months earlier from Jamaica
Hospital Medical Center's psychiatric ward after four months of treatment.
Rodriguez's nephew said when his uncle wasn't taking his medicine, he spoke to
himself and liked to stab things with a small knife he always carried.
Rodriguez's mother said her son had been acting erratically the day of the
attack and had begun spitting his medication out. She had planned to call an
ambulance to take him to the hospital later that evening. She said she tried to
protest his earlier release from the hospital, but because her son was an
adult, there was nothing she could do. Source: Newsday (New York), September
23, 2003 Daily News, September 23, 2003

Date: 10/2003

Location: New York, New York, NY

Summary: Alberto Menegro, 42, was charged with second-degree
murder and first-degree assault in a fatal attack on his 8-year-old niece and
other relatives in their Manhattan apartment. Police said that Menegro claimed
to be "hearing voices in his head" when he killed the girl by
slitting her throat and attacked other relatives on October 19, 2003. Menegro
was alone in the kitchen with his sister's only child when he suddenly snapped
and stabbed the 8-year-old with a steak knife, police said. Other relatives at
home heard blood-curdling screams coming from the room, and the mom and uncle
rushed in to see what was going on, cops said. Horrified at the sight of the
dying girl crumpled on the floor, they tried to stop Menegro, who stabbed and
wounded both of them, police said. Menegro's relatives told police he had been
treated for schizophrenia at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital as recently as
March 2003, but that he stopped taking his medicine. Menegro, who also cut his
own throat during the incident, was moved to Bellevue Hospital after being
treated at Harlem Hospital. Source: New York Post, October 21, 2003 The Daily
News, October 20, 2003 New York Post, October 23, 2003

Date: 3/2003

Location: New York, New York, NY

Summary: Russell Harding, 39, the former head of the Housing
Development Corporation appointed by Mayor Rudy Guiliani in 1998, was indicted
in New York City on embezzlement charges in March 2003. Harding, who suffers
from bipolar disorder, was accused of financing lavish vacations and other
luxuries by disguising them as work expenses. A six-count federal indictment
also accuses him of having a child-pornography movie and 10 child-pornography
images on his computer. He plead innocent. Lawyers told the judge in his case
that Harding's bipolar disorder skewed his ability to understand that his
behavior was inappropriate. The charges against Harding carry a maximum of 45
years in prison, although if convicted he would likely get far less under
federal sentencing guidelines. On November 3, 2003, Harding was arrested at his
home because a doctor believed he might try to kill himself. After a brief
hearing, U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan postponed Harding's trial and ordered
he undergo psychiatric evaluation by doctors at the Federal Medical Center in
Butner, N.C. Subsequent History: In an order dated October 28, 2004, District
Judge Lewis Kaplan concluded that after thorough psychiatric evaluation,
Harding is "competent to stand trial." Kaplan also noted that Harding
"has informed the court that he does not dispute that finding." In
September 2004, Kaplan announced that, based on a report he received from
doctors, he was prepared to rule that Harding should be tried on charges that he
stole more than $250,000 from a city housing department and destroyed evidence
to cover up the thefts. Kaplan gave defense lawyers until September 27, 2004 to
submit arguments challenging the findings. Source: New York Daily News,
November 4, 2003 Newsday, November 5, 2003 Village Voice, September 21, 2004
Newsday, October 29, 2004

Date: 11/2003

Location: Rocky Point, Suffolk, NY

Summary: On November 11, 2003, Dennis Cherbavaz, a 50-year-old man
with mental illness, led sheriff's deputies on a high-speed chase through his
hometown of Rocky Point, NY, then violently resisted arrest and suffered a
heart attack. The deputies were attempting to serve an order of protection
filed by his sister after she alleged that Cherbavaz had tried to run her off
the road in a car and break a chair over her head. Cherbavaz became incensed
and fled, until deputies were able to catch up to him and pull him forceably
out of the car. During the struggle to subdue him, Cherbavaz suffered the heart
attack and was taken to the hospital. Cherbavaz was charged with felony
reckless endangerment, as well as resisting arrest and menacing, both
misdemeanors. Cherbavaz had been diagnosed as schizophrenic with bipolar
disorder and had been admitted to psychiatric hospitals in New York and
Massachusetts 23 times in two decades, said his mother, Diva Cherbavaz. She
said she realized her son was a danger to himself two weeks before his arrest,
had been on the phone with the Suffolk County Department of Health's crisis
unit nearly every day, and even filed a police report against him for taking
her 1993 Oldsmobile - just so he could be taken safely into custody. According
her, Cherbavaz had recently lost his job and was upset over a custody battle
between her and her daughter over the daughter's two young sons. "At least
he is safe now," she said. "As long as he is in the hospital, he
can't hurt himself anymore. That's the good part." Subsequent History:
Cherbavaz died in the hospital three weeks after the incident. Source: Newsday
(New York), November 13, 2003 Newsday (New York) April 11, 2004

Date: 7/2000

Location: Queens, Queens, NY

Summary: Jaime Oliveira, 22, a man with schizophrenia, allegedly
attacked two women in July and August 2000 after picking them up in his cab
early in the morning outside two different bars in Woodside, Queens. In July
2000, he allegedly refused to allow a 31-year-old woman to leave his cab by
locking her door from the front seat. He then walked around to the back, opened
the passenger door and attacked her. In August 2000, he allegedly raped a
25-year-old woman as she slept in the back of his black Lincoln Town Car. He
was charged with rape, sodomy, attempted rape, unlawful imprisonment, sex abuse
and kidnapping and faces up to 50 years in prison if convicted. Oliveira, who
had spent much of the two years since his arrest in and out of mental
institutions and was on medication, has been missing since shortly after
posting $150,000 bail on Oct. 21, 2003. He failed to appear for his November 5,
2003 trial date. "I'm not speculating" about whether he went off his
medication once he made bail, his attorney Lawrence Kerben said. "He was
looking at a lot of time. Fifteen years was the last offer from the DA's
office." Source: New York Daily News, November 18, 2003

Date: 3/2003

Location: West Nyack, Rockland, NY

Summary: A man accused of beating and attempting to abduct a woman
from the Palisades Center mall in West Nyack, NY, on March 21, 2003 was found
not guilty after a trial in Rockland County Court, during which the defense
portrayed him as a schizophrenic. While the jury determined that the
prosecution proved that Brian Gordon, 21, had attempted to kidnap the woman, it
determined he was not responsible for it because of a mental disease or defect.
The jury also found Gordon not guilty of second-degree kidnapping, and two
counts of second-degree assault. Dr. Alan Tuckman, a Pomona psychiatrist,
testified for the prosecution that Gordon's mental condition wasn't an issue,
while Dr. Marc Tarle, a psychiatrist from New City, testified that Gordon was a
chronic schizophrenic. Gordon, who has been jailed since his arrest shortly
after the incident, was ordered into the custody of the state Department of
Mental Health, District Attorney Michael Bongiorno said. He will be held in a
secure psychiatric hospital and evaluated periodically to determine if he still
poses a threat to the community or himself. Gordon had faced up to 25 years
imprisonment if he had been found guilty of kidnapping, the most serious charge
against him. Source: Gannett Suburban New York Newspapers, November 27, 2003

Date: 12/2003

Location: Wyandanch, Suffolk, NY

Summary: Leon Kornegay, 23, a community college student from
Wyandanch, NY, stabbed his marketing professor at Suffolk County Community
College in Brentwood, NY, while classmates looked on in horror on Dec. 1, 2003,
after months of his mother, Nadine Ward, trying to get psychiatric help for
him. The professor, Salvotore Curiale, 45, was treated for wounds to the left
side of his body. Kornegay pleaded not guilty to second-degree felony assault.
Subsequent History: On June 30, 2004, Kornegay pleaded guilty to second-degree
assault. On August 19, 2004, Suffolk County Judge Louis Ohlig sentenced
Kornegay to 3 years in prison. Both Kornegay's attorney, Ira Rosenberg, and
Ward said they were disappointed that Kornegay, who has paranoid schizophrenia,
will be in prison when he needs psychiatric help. Ohlig cited Kornegay's prior
involvement with the law, including a 1999 conviction for misdemeanor assault,
as reason for the prison term. Ohlig also sentenced Kornegay to three years of
post-release supervision following his prison sentence. Kornegay's paranoid
schizophrenia was diagnosed after the November 2003 incident, Rosenberg said,
and he is currently on medication for that condition. Prior History: Kornegay
started acting paranoid in the summer before the murder. His mother persuaded
him to check into the psychiatric ward at Southside Hospital in Bay Shore on
Nov. 21, 2003, where the ER doctor said he exhibited signs of paranoid
schizophrenia. The following day, when she told her son's assigned physician
that she feared he would hurt someone if the hospital let him out, the doctor
concurred, agreeing to seek a court order to have him committed involuntarily,
Ward said. But the doctor changed his mind, Ward said, and the court order was
not obtained. When he was discharged five days later on Nov. 26, it is unclear
what his diagnosis was, but his discharge plan, Ward said, instructed him to
take Rispodel, an anti-psychotic drug, twice a day, and to visit an outpatient
clinic in Central Islip on Dec. 2. But Kornegay almost immediately tore up the
discharge plan, and threw away the medication, Ward said. Source: Newsday,
December 16, 2003; Newsday, July 1, 2004; Newsday, August 20, 2004

Date: 8/2002

Location: Amherst, Erie, NY

Summary: Joseph Tulumello, 60, a former surgeon, pleaded guilty to
grand larceny and agreed to return to his 92-year-old mother the ownership of
the Amherst home he made her sign over to him in August 2002. He was spared a
jail term on the condition that he continue taking prescribed anti-psychotic
medication and get further mental health counseling. In addition to taking over
his mother's home, Tulumello allegedly also ran a phone sex and pornographic
film business out of the home while she still lived there, spent her $50,000
annuity and cashed her Social Security and pension checks. In February 2003,
Tulumello's medical license was revoked by the state after he was diagnosed as
suffering from bipolar disorder. In July 2003, Erie County Judge Michael F.
Pietruszka ordered a forensic mental examination of Tulumello, who was
ultimately sent to Erie County Medical Center for care. Source: Buffalo News,
December 11, 2003 Buffalo News, May 18, 2003 Buffalo News, February 28, 2004

Date: 7/2003

Location: Granby, Oswego, NY

Summary: Joseph Blake, an Oswego County, NY, man, was accused of
killing his parents James, 81, and Betty Blake, 72, by striking them with a
claw hammer. Their bodies were found July 16, 2003 in their home in Granby, NY.
Blake, 48, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder. According to the
arrest report, Blake has a history of mental health problems and a long
involvement with Community Mental Health. A judge ordered an evaluation of
Blake by two county psychiatrists due to Blake's disheveled appearance in court
and his past history of psychiatric problems. The day before his parents were
killed, Blake was taken by police to the Oswego Hospital emergency room for a mental
health evaluation after he got into an altercation with a social worker. On the
morning that his parents' bodies were found, Oswego officers again picked up
Blake on a mental health order, which they have said was unrelated to the
killings. Subsequent History: Blake pleaded guilty on November 18, 2004 to
killing his parents and was sentenced to two concurrent terms of 25 years to
life. On October 18, 2004, Blake was found competent enough to assist in his
defense and stand trial, acting County Judge John Elliott said. During a brief
hearing in April 2004, defense lawyer Joseph Rodak said a clinical psychologist
recommended Blake undergo a brain scan because he had suffered a series of head
injuries throughout his lifetime and these may have caused brain damage. After
appearing in Oswego County Surrogate Court on July 13, 2004, it was decided
that Blake would undergo further psychiatric evaluations.The District
Attorney's Office was given the opportunity to select their own doctor to
evaluate Blake. Prior History: Since 1995, Blake had been treated in several
psychiatric facilities for bi-polar disorder. Blake also had a history of going
off medications, Rodak said. Source: The Post-Standard (Syracuse, NY), January
27, 2004/ April 27, 2004/ July 20, 2004/ October 19, 2004/ November 19, 2004;
The Palladium Times, July 19, 2004/ October 19, 2004; Long Island Newsday,
December 21, 2004

Date: 3/2001

Location: , , NY

Summary: Juan Arequipa, 49, spiked a bottle of Coca-Cola with
cyanide and tried to get his unsuspecting teenage children to join him in a
fatal toast. Fortunately, both children survived. After Arequipa's son saw his
father and sister were getting sick and collapsing, he called 911. The father
and daughter were unconscious when ambulance workers arrived, and Arequipa
later died. His daughter was in critical but stable condition the next day.
Police sources stated that Arequipa was distraught and depressed. Family
members stated that he had spoken of suicide and was being treated with
medication for depression. Source: Newsday, March 24, 2001

Date: 3/2002

Location: Lynbrook, Nassau, NY

Summary: Peter John Troy, 35, a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic,
was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and given two life sentences
without parole for killing a Lynbrook, NY, priest and parishioner with a
semi-automatic rifle at morning Mass, then barricading himself in his home in a
seven-hour standoff with police on March 12, 2002. He was also sentenced to a
minimum of 25 years in prison for the attempted first-degree murder of a police
officer during his arrest, and the judge levied a $20,310.10 reimbursement for
the two victims' funeral costs. Psychologist Anthony Santoro, who said he spoke
with Troy on three dates, concluded that Troy was mentally capable of helping
his attorney before and during trial. The conclusion contradicted his
physicians' finding. Against his lawyer's advice, Troy insisted on representing
himself at trial, and refused to use an insanity defense. Prior History:
According to his mother, Troy began showing signs of mental illness while in
college. For the next 15 years, Troy was hospitalized several times and placed
on medication. Twice in 2001, Troy was detained by the police and admitted to
psychiatric hospital wards. But a judge ordered him released, and a county
mental health agency failed to locate him for follow-up care that doctors had
urged. The state's Commission on Quality of Care for the Mentally Disabled
later found that Nassau County "inappropriately" closed his case. The
year before the shootings, Bellevue Hospital Center had told the Nassau County
mental health department that Troy was a candidate for outpatient treatment
under Kendra's Law. Troy's lawyer had sought to have his client declared
incompetent to stand trial, but the judge refused. Saying that Troy had shown
no remorse, the judge called him "extremely dangerous, arrogant, stubborn,
a mean individual hellbent on causing as much pain as you could."
Sunsequent History: In March 2004, the family of one of his victims, Eileen
Tosner, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Nassau County's Department of
Mental Health and the Nassau University Medical Center. Troy was also named in
the suit. Despite a bid by Nassau County to throw out the civil lawsuit, in
July 2004 Supreme Court Justice William LaMarca ruled that the wrongful death
case could move ahead. Troy represented himself in the suit. In 2005, Troy, who
still claimed his innocence, tried to block the suit by refusing to release any
of his mental health records, despite two orders by a state Supreme Court
Justice. Source: Newsday (New York, NY), March 14, 2002; Daily News, March 16,
2002; The New York Times, March 20, 2002; July 31, 2003; Newsday, 2/28/03;
3/11/03; 6/20/03; 6/26/03; 5/17/04; 7/15/04; 5/25/05

Date: 3/2002

Location: Lynbrook, Nassau, NY

Summary: Peter John Troy, 35, a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic,
was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and given two life sentences
without parole for killing a Lynbrook, NY, priest and parishioner with a
semi-automatic rifle at morning Mass, then barricading himself in his home in a
seven-hour standoff with police on March 12, 2002. He was also sentenced to a
minimum of 25 years in prison for the attempted first-degree murder of a police
officer during his arrest, and the judge levied a $20,310.10 reimbursement for
the two victims' funeral costs. Psychologist Anthony Santoro, who said he spoke
with Troy on three dates, concluded that Troy was mentally capable of helping
his attorney before and during trial. The conclusion contradicted his
physicians' finding. Against his lawyer's advice, Troy insisted on representing
himself at trial, and refused to use an insanity defense. Prior History:
According to his mother, Troy began showing signs of mental illness while in
college. For the next 15 years, Troy was hospitalized several times and placed
on medication. Twice in 2001, Troy was detained by the police and admitted to
psychiatric hospital wards. But a judge ordered him released, and a county
mental health agency failed to locate him for follow-up care that doctors had
urged. The state's Commission on Quality of Care for the Mentally Disabled
later found that Nassau County "inappropriately" closed his case. The
year before the shootings, Bellevue Hospital Center had told the Nassau County
mental health department that Troy was a candidate for outpatient treatment
under Kendra's Law. Troy's lawyer had sought to have his client declared
incompetent to stand trial, but the judge refused. Saying that Troy had shown
no remorse, the judge called him "extremely dangerous, arrogant, stubborn,
a mean individual hellbent on causing as much pain as you could."
Sunsequent History: In March 2004, the family of one of his victims, Eileen
Tosner, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Nassau County's Department of
Mental Health and the Nassau University Medical Center. Troy was also named in
the suit. Despite a bid by Nassau County to throw out the civil lawsuit, in
July 2004 Supreme Court Justice William LaMarca ruled that the wrongful death
case could move ahead. Troy represented himself in the suit. In 2005, Troy, who
still claimed his innocence, tried to block the suit by refusing to release any
of his mental health records, despite two orders by a state Supreme Court Justice.
Source: Newsday (New York, NY), March 14, 2002; Daily News, March 16, 2002;
The New York Times, March 20, 2002; July 31, 2003; Newsday, 2/28/03; 3/11/03;
6/20/03; 6/26/03; 5/17/04; 7/15/04; 5/25/05

Date: 3/2002

Location: New York, New York, NY

Summary: Rev. Julio Torres, 57, and his wife were brutally
attacked in their rectory home on March 31, 2002 by Torres' oldest son, Javier,
27, who was visiting the couple from a halfway house in Baltimore for the
weekend. Javier Torres stabbed his 37-year-old stepmother in the abdomen and
back and his father in five places in the chest and back before fleeing. He was
arrested later that night after surrendering to police near Times Square.
Torres was charged with two counts of attempted murder and is being held on
Rikers Island. Rev. Torres emphasized that his son, who has suffered from
paranoid schizophrenia since he was 19, attacked them in the midst of a
delusional breakdown. Rev. Torres said his son regularly refused to take his
anti-psychotic medicine. As recently as December, 2001, a Maryland judge found
that Torres did not need to be confined to a mental hospital despite
indications that he was homicidal. Source: Daily News (New York), May 6, 2002

Date: 4/2002

Location: Hoosick Falls, Rensselaer, NY

Summary: At 2 a.m. on April 16, 2002, Christine Wilhelm of Hoosick
Falls, NY drowned her 4-year-old son, Luke, and attempted to drown her
5-year-old son, Peter, in a bathtub in the family home. Wilhelm, who has a
history of schizophrenia, pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to three
counts of second-degree murder and one count of attempted second-degree murder,
but was eventually convicted of murder in July 2003. On September 3, she was
given the maximum sentence of 50 years to life by Rensselaer County Court Judge
Patrick McGrath, who told Wilhelm he had "no room for mercy" for her.
Wilhelm had claimed her husband sexually abused the children and the drowning
was an intended "act of mercy" for them. It was later determined that
there was no evidence of abuse. Since her imprisonment at the Rensselaer County
Jail, Wilhelm underwent several disciplinary hearings, was placed on suicide
watch and given antipsychotic medication. During her incarceration, she will be
at a much higher risk for suicide attempts and will be shunned by other
inmates, according to experts. Her attorney says Wilhelm still talks about Luke
as if he's alive and has tried to take her own life in jail. "It's a sad
day for psychiatry because our society seems not to be able to see the forest
for the trees when it comes down to people's mental behavior," said Dr.
Stephen Price, who was the defense team's star witness. Since Wilhelm's
conviction, two social worker's testimonies indicating Wilhelm knew the killing
was wrong have come into question, and the public defender was contemplating a
grand jury investigation. Prior History: Wilhelm had a history of involvement
with child protective services and multiple psychiatric hospitalizations in
both Florida and New York. Prior to the killing, her husband had brought her to
Albany Medical Center, where she was hospitalized in the psychiatric wing for
more than a week. Wilhelm also made contact with Capital Region social services
numerous times - as recently as four days before the killing - telling them she
was afraid her children were in danger. Her mother testified in court that she
had begged her son-in-law to hospitalize Wilhelm just two days before the
drowning, and that Wilhelm was not taking her medication at the time, a fact
confirmed by Kenneth Wilhelm. Subsequent History: In June 2006, Christine
Wilhelm’s last-ditch appeal was making its way through the Appellate Division
of state Supreme Court. Wilhelm’s lawyer, public defender Jerry Frost, was back
in court in Albany arguing that Wilhelm's sentence of 50 years to life in
prison should be reversed and that she should be granted a new trial. Mr. Frost
contended, yet again, that Wilhelm is not guilty by the reasons of her own
insanity. He also reiterated that she belongs in the strict confinement of a
mental institution, not in a prison cell. Subsequent History: On August 24,
2006, an appellate court reversed Christine Wilhelm's 2003 murder conviction
and ordered a new trial for the woman who was found guilty of drowning one son
and trying to drown his brother. The court ruled that Wilhelm's right to
counsel was violated by the testimony of child protective case workers who
interviewed her without a lawyer. Wilhelm, 42, is serving a sentence of 46
years to life in prison. She had stopped taking her medication to treat
paranoid schizophrenia about a month before she held her 4-year-old son, Luke,
under his bathwater on April 15, 2002, prosecutors said. Wilhelm's other son,
Peter, now 9, survived after begging her to let him go. He testified at the
trial that his mother was seeing werewolves on the night she attacked him and
his brother. A five-judge panel of the Appellate Division of state Supreme
Court ruled unanimously that Kathleen McGarry and Casi Maloney of county Child
Protective Services were working with law enforcement when they interviewed
Wilhelm without her lawyer present and reported her comments to the district
attorney's office. They said Wilhelm told them she knew what she was doing was
wrong but did it anyway. The 16-page decision, written by Justice Thomas E.
Mercure, said defense attorney Jerry Frost was correct in arguing that the two
case workers' trial testimony should not have been allowed. It stated that the
CPS workers "had 'a cooperative working arrangement' with and were acting
as agents of the police and prosecutor in interviewing and relaying her
incriminating status." Subsequent History: Christine Wilhelm pleaded not
guilty on September 13, 2006, citing mental illness, in a deal reached with
prosecutors. Wilhelm will be sent to a psychiatric facility where she could
spend the rest of her life. Rensselaer County District Attorney Patricia
DeAngelis agreed to the deal three weeks after an appeals court tossed
Wilhelm's conviction. Judge Patrick McGrath turned Wilhelm over to the state
Commission on Mental Health to be placed in a secure mental facility at the
Mid-Hudson Psychiatric Center in Orange County. Within 30 days, she will get an
examination by two independent psychiatrists. That report will be returned to
the judge who then will have 10 days to schedule a hearing to determine whether
Wilhelm suffers from a dangerous mental disorder that would keep her in the
facility. She will have another evaluation within six months, another within a
year and every two years after that. Source: Albany Times Union (New York),
June 6, 2002 Albany Times Union, 5/29/03, 6/3/03, 6/19/03, 7/8/03, 7/8/06,
8/14/06, 8/25/06, 8/27/06, 8/30/06, 9/13/06, 9/15/06, 9/17/06;Saratogian,
7/10/03; The Daily Gazette, 7/10/03

Date: 1/2000

Location: New York, New York, NY

Summary: Chris Pollard, 21, of Brooklyn, was sentenced after being
convicted of attempted rape, burglary and assault charges related to his attack
on a 49-year-old nanny at the West 46th Street home of Thomas Winberry. On
January 1, 2000, Pollard was sent to Winberry's home to deliver a package and
attacked and choked the nanny after forcing his way into the house. Winberry
returned home while Pollard was there, and Pollard attacked him as well,
slashing him across the face, inflicting a gash that required 50 stiches to
close. State Supreme Court Justice Bonnie Wittner said psychiatric tests show
that Pollard has "a major psychotic disorder, possibly
schizophrenia," and that "he is a threat to himself and others."
The judge designated Pollard a "predicate violent felon", directed
that he receive psychiatric treatment in prison and be supervised for five
years after his release, and ordered him registered as a sex offender. Source:
The Associated Press, October 20, 2000

Date: 2/2003

Location: Queens, Queens, NY

Summary: Larme Price, 30, was charged with first-degree murder and
faces the death penalty for allegedly killing four immigrants in separate acts
of revenge against Arabs for the September 11 terror attacks. However,
questions mounted about whether proper psychiatric treatment could have cut
short the rampage. The killing spree began February 8, 2003, when police say
Price shot and killed a Guyanese immigrant of Indian descent in a Queens
grocery store. Two hours later, Price allegedly fatally shot an immigrant from
India in his Brooklyn convenience store. An immigrant from the Ukraine was
killed March 10 at his laundermat in Brooklyn after Price said he
"disrespected" him. Ten days later, Price allegedly killed a Yemeni immigrant
in a Crown Heights, Brooklyn, grocery store. Brooklyn Criminal Court Judge
Timothy Duffici placed Price on suicide watch after his arrest and ordered
detoxification treatment for the admitted drug user. Price's relatives have
said they repeatedly tried to get psychiatric treatment for the father of three
who descended into paranoia and rage. They said Price was turned away from
Woodhull Hospital several times. A hospital source told the Daily News that
Price had been seen by a psychiatrist but was discharged because he showed no
sign of being a danger to himself or others. Source: Daily News, April 1, 2003

Date: 2/2003

Location: Queens, Queens, NY

Summary: Larme Price, 30, was charged with first-degree murder and
faces the death penalty for allegedly killing four immigrants in separate acts
of revenge against Arabs for the September 11 terror attacks. However,
questions mounted about whether proper psychiatric treatment could have cut
short the rampage. The killing spree began February 8, 2003, when police say
Price shot and killed a Guyanese immigrant of Indian descent in a Queens
grocery store. Two hours later, Price allegedly fatally shot an immigrant from
India in his Brooklyn convenience store. An immigrant from the Ukraine was
killed March 10 at his laundermat in Brooklyn after Price said he
"disrespected" him. Ten days later, Price allegedly killed a Yemeni
immigrant in a Crown Heights, Brooklyn, grocery store. Brooklyn Criminal Court
Judge Timothy Duffici placed Price on suicide watch after his arrest and
ordered detoxification treatment for the admitted drug user. Price's relatives
have said they repeatedly tried to get psychiatric treatment for the father of
three who descended into paranoia and rage. They said Price was turned away
from Woodhull Hospital several times. A hospital source told the Daily News
that Price had been seen by a psychiatrist but was discharged because he showed
no sign of being a danger to himself or others. Source: Daily News, April 1,
2003

Date: 2/2003

Location: Queens, Queens, NY

Summary: Larme Price, 30, was charged with first-degree murder and
faces the death penalty for allegedly killing four immigrants in separate acts
of revenge against Arabs for the September 11 terror attacks. However,
questions mounted about whether proper psychiatric treatment could have cut
short the rampage. The killing spree began February 8, 2003, when police say
Price shot and killed a Guyanese immigrant of Indian descent in a Queens
grocery store. Two hours later, Price allegedly fatally shot an immigrant from
India in his Brooklyn convenience store. An immigrant from the Ukraine was
killed March 10 at his laundermat in Brooklyn after Price said he
"disrespected" him. Ten days later, Price allegedly killed a Yemeni
immigrant in a Crown Heights, Brooklyn, grocery store. Brooklyn Criminal Court
Judge Timothy Duffici placed Price on suicide watch after his arrest and
ordered detoxification treatment for the admitted drug user. Price's relatives
have said they repeatedly tried to get psychiatric treatment for the father of
three who descended into paranoia and rage. They said Price was turned away
from Woodhull Hospital several times. A hospital source told the Daily News
that Price had been seen by a psychiatrist but was discharged because he showed
no sign of being a danger to himself or others. Source: Daily News, April 1,
2003

Date: 9/2002

Location: Middle Island, Suffolk, NY

Summary: Christopher Maggio, 31, who suffers from depression and
"probably other mental illnesses" according to his lawyer, held his
parents hostage in their Head of the Harbor home because he was angry about the
break-up of his marriage. Maggio has been charged with second-degree kidnapping
for terrorizing his parents and threatening them with a knife, a handgun and a
stun gun and for causing destruction to their property. Maggio's wife, a
Russian woman he brought back from that country to marry, filed an order of
protection against him after several months of marriage and finally left him
after he violated the order. Source: Newsday (New York), October 1, 2002

Date: 7/2003

Location: New Rochelle, Westchester, NY

Summary: Seijo Imazaki, 26, a man with bipolar disorder, was
sentenced to five years' probation for assaulting a New Rochelle, NY police
officer after breaking into his ex-girlfriend's apartment on July 28, 2003. The
woman had supported him for years but finally became overwhelmed by his
unwillingness to stay on medication. The day of the incident, Imazaki broke
into her apartment, ransacked a room and stole an air mattress. He said he was
looking for mementos from his father. Police responded to the woman's frantic
911 call. An officer scuffled with Imazaki while trying to arrest him and
suffered a knee injury. Imazaki can never contact his ex-girlfriend or her family,
must move to Minnesota where he has relatives, and cannot leave that state
without the permission of his psychiatrist or probation officer, State Supreme
Court Justice Mary Smith said. Following a non-jury trial, Smith acquitted
Imazaki of burglary, but convicted him of felony assault on a police officer
and misdemeanor charges of criminal mischief, trespass and resisting arrest.
Imazaki could have faced up to seven years in state prison. Assistant District
Attorney Dan Schorr asked for prison time because Imazaki was a felon who could
not be trusted to take his medication. Prior History: Imazaki's brother, Reiko,
developed a severe mental illness after high school and killed their father in
November 1995. Imazaki returned home that day to find his father's body tucked
into bed. Reiko remains in a psychiatric hospital. Imazaki went on to become a
model, but eventually developed bipolar disorder, and was hospitalized whenever
he stopped taking his medication. He has said he was sexually abused as a
teenager by his high school wrestling coach. Source: The Journal News, May 26,
2004

Date: 7/2003

Location: New Rochelle, Westchester, NY

Summary: Seijo Imazaki, 26, a man with bipolar disorder, was
sentenced to five years' probation for assaulting a New Rochelle, NY police
officer after breaking into his ex-girlfriend's apartment on July 28, 2003. The
woman had supported him for years but finally became overwhelmed by his
unwillingness to stay on medication. The day of the incident, Imazaki broke
into her apartment, ransacked a room and stole an air mattress. He said he was
looking for mementos from his father. Police responded to the woman's frantic
911 call. An officer scuffled with Imazaki while trying to arrest him and
suffered a knee injury. Imazaki can never contact his ex-girlfriend or her
family, must move to Minnesota where he has relatives, and cannot leave that
state without the permission of his psychiatrist or probation officer, State
Supreme Court Justice Mary Smith said. Following a non-jury trial, Smith
acquitted Imazaki of burglary, but convicted him of felony assault on a police
officer and misdemeanor charges of criminal mischief, trespass and resisting
arrest. Imazaki could have faced up to seven years in state prison. Assistant
District Attorney Dan Schorr asked for prison time because Imazaki was a felon
who could not be trusted to take his medication. Prior History: Imazaki's
brother, Reiko, developed a severe mental illness after high school and killed
their father in November 1995. Imazaki returned home that day to find his
father's body tucked into bed. Reiko remains in a psychiatric hospital. Imazaki
went on to become a model, but eventually developed bipolar disorder, and was
hospitalized whenever he stopped taking his medication. He has said he was
sexually abused as a teenager by his high school wrestling coach. Source: The
Journal News, May 26, 2004

Date: 2/2003

Location: Monticello, Sullivan, NY

Summary: Jessica Melchick, a woman with a lengthy history of
serious mental illness and hospitalizations, admitted to killing her
79-year-old mother, Amelia Vogel, on February 16, 2003 in the older woman's
Monticello, NY home. A psychiatrist who testified at her plea hearing in June
2004 said that Melchick, 46, thought she was saving her mother from an evil
beast that possessed her when she stabbed her 120 times with a pair of
scissors. Melchick has a mood disorder and schizophrenic symptoms, said Dr.
John Lucas. "It wasn't her that I killed that night," Melchick told
the judge. The judge took that admission as an insanity plea. District Attorney
Steve Lungen asked the judge to rule that Melchick is a dangerous person so she
can be committed to a secure mental hospital for treatment. Prior History: On
November 26, 2001, Melchick impaled herself with a samurai sword. Source:
Middletown Times-Herald, June 11, 2004

Date: 12/2002

Location: Mount Vernon, Westchester, NY

Summary: Dyego Foddrell, a man with mental illness, was charged
with murder in the beating death of his girlfriend's 2-year-old son, Maurice
Campbell Jr., on December 6, 2002 in Mount Vernon, NY. His lawyer, William
Martin, said Foddrell, 25, had been previously diagnosed with paranoid
schizophrenia while in state prison, but when he was released in early 2002 he
was left to fend for himself without any medication, and should therefore not
be held criminally responsible. Assistant District Attorney Fredric Green said
that a videotaped statement Foddrell gave detectives made it clear that he had
brutalized the boy for soiling his pants and bed, and that he was aware of what
he had done. Green said Foddrell had been beating Cambell for weeks as part of
his method of toilet training. Subsequent History: On August 24, 2004, State
Supreme Court Justice Mary Smith sentenced Foddrell to 25 years to life in
state prison. A jury had convicted Foddrell of second-degree murder in June.
The child's mother, Sharell Johnson, was also charged with murder because she
had ignored the risk Foddrell posed and left the child alone with the
ex-convict. In 2003, a jury convicted her of the lesser charge of criminally
negligent homicide and she was sentenced to 1 1/2 to 4 years in prison.
Source: The Journal News.com (NY), June 17, 2004 White Plains Journal News,
August 25, 2004

Date: 6/2004

Location: Brooklyn, Kings, NY

Summary: On June 17, 2004, two teenage boys beat a homeless man to
death outside a Brooklyn church. Police responding to a frantic 911 call from
the priest, found 43 bricks strewn around Billy Pearson's corpse, which was
tucked under a rosebush in front of St. Gabriel's Church in East New York,
where Pearson desperately tried to seek sanctuary. The two 15-year-old
neighborhood boys, Dashorn Washington and Jamel Robinson, were charged as
adults with murder and criminal possession of a weapon. Police said the boys
spotted Pearson, 51, sleeping in an abandoned car at 3:00 AM. They chased him
to the front of the church and beat him to death. Dashorn Washington's mother
said her son has bipolar and attention-deficit disorders, and that she had
placed him in group homes to try to address his illness. "I've been
working with my son for years to prevent something like this", said
Geraldine Washington. Subsequent History: Jameel Robinson was convicted of
second-degree murder on April 12, 2005. Source: New York Daily News, June 18,
2004; Newsday (New York) June 19, 2004; New York Daily News, June 19, 2004; New
York Daily News, April 13, 2005

Date: 6/2004

Location: Niagara Falls, Niagara, NY

Summary: Joseph K. O'Connor, 39, pleaded not guilty to felony
charges of second-degree murder and first-degree arson in the strangling death
of his wife and the burning of their home in Niagara Falls, NY on June 18,
2004. O'Connor was arrested in front of the burning house just before 11 a.m.,
when police arrived to investigate the report of a domestic fight. Police said
O'Connor told them he strangled his wife and set three fires in the home using
papers and the gas stove. Michelle O'Connor, 33, was found in the first-floor
dining room with a rope around her neck. Two officers dragged her out the back
door, but efforts to revive her were unsuccessful. She was pronounced dead in
Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center. The couple's three children were in
school at the time. O'Connor was allegedly upset about an argument he had with
his wife. During his arraignment, O'Connor told Judge Mark A. Violante he had
not taken his prescribed medication, lithium bicarbonate, for four days before
the incident. He said he was not under the care of a doctor. Subsequent
History: In April 2005, O'Connor pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in
exchange for a fixed 20-year prison term. Assistant Public Defender Christopher
A. Privateer, who was planning to try an insanity defense at a trial, said it
was the best deal he could make. A Family Court judge also ruled that O'Connor
was to have no contact with his three children for the duration of his
sentence. Prior History: O'Connor was arrested and charged with sexual abuse
and endangering the welfare of a child in an incident involving one of his
daughters in November 2001, and on a domestic violence assault charge in June
2001. Child Protective Services wanted him to leave the home for the safety of
the children, according to court records. Source: Buffalo News (New York),
June 19, 2004; Buffalo News, 4/22/05

Date: 6/2004

Location: Syracuse, Onondaga, NY

Summary: Police took Henry “Hank” Daragona, an 81-year-old man
with mental illness, into custody after threatening to shoot and kill his
neighbor with a high-powered rifle in Syracuse, NY on June 30, 2004. Daragona
held the Syracuse Police Department Emergency Response Team at bay for almost
nine hours before they stormed his home. No one was injured. "He's been
diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic," said Sgt. Tom Connellan. "He'd
been off his medication for a few days." Daragona's nephew said he had
tried earlier to get his uncle to go to the VA Medical Center for treatment
once he realized the elderly man was acting strangely. However, Daragona
refused to go. "He was not rational," the sergeant said. Daragona was
taken to the Onondaga County Justice Center and arraigned on a single
misdemeanor count of fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon. The judge
ordered Daragona to undergo an informal mental examination, and also issued an order
of protection for the neighbor, Harry LaPoint. Bail was set at $5,000 cash or
bond. Source: The Post-Standard (Syracuse, NY), July 2, 2004

Date: 4/2003

Location: Buffalo, Erie, NY

Summary: Jay Clegg, 23, was charged with felony assault in an
attack on Erie County sheriff's deputies on April 23, 2003 in Erie County
Medical Center's guarded psychiatric ward in Buffalo, NY. In April 2004, Erie
County Judge Shirley Troutman found him not guilty by reason of mental defect,
necessitating a hearing on whether he would be placed in a regular mental
hospital or one that is guarded. On June 30, 2004, Troutman ordered Clegg, who
has a long history of anti-social psychiatric disorders, to spend at least the
next year in the guarded section of Rochester Psychiatric Center while he
undergoes treatment. During the hearing, Rochester Psychiatric Center
psychiatrists Srinivas C. Yerneni and Christopher Deakin testified that Clegg
has chronic paranoid schizophrenia and a personality disorder. Source: Buffalo
News (New York), July 1, 2004

Date: 6/2003

Location: Rochester, Monroe, NY

Summary: On June 15, 2003, Ervin C. Evans, a man with paranoid
schizophrenia, propped a .22-caliber rifle atop a fence next to his Rochester,
NY home and put a bullet through Edwin H. Rivera's head as the man stood five
houses away. Evans, who was charged with second-degree murder, pleaded guilty
in Monroe County Court to a lesser charge of first-degree manslaughter,
admitting that he killed Rivera, 19, while acting under extreme emotional disturbance.
Judge Richard A. Keenan agreed to consider a prison term ranging from a minimum
of five years to a maximum of 15 years. Although Evans, 36, faced a prison
sentence of up to 25 years to life if convicted of murder, prosecutors
consented to the plea and lesser sentence. In the months before Rivera was shot
and killed, he and members of his group harassed Evans - beating him, throwing
snowballs at him, slashing the tires of his car and breaking the windows of his
home. Although Evans said he feared for his life when he retrieved the rifle
from his basement, defense lawyer Thomas J. Cocuzzi said Evans' illness made it
difficult to determine whether he was delusional about shots being fired at him
first. Source: Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, July 16, 2004

Date: 7/2004

Location: Niagara Falls, Niagara, NY

Summary: In Niagara Falls, NY, a mother accused of fatally
stabbing her 9-year-old daughter on July 17, 2004 reportedly told police she
killed the child because "voices" told her to do so. Falisha M.
Madera, 25, also told police she had forgotten to take her medication for
schizophrenia that day. Madera was charged with second-degree murder. Kayla
Madera had been stabbed repeatedly in the chest with a kitchen knife and was
found on a bedroom floor of their apartment. Madera's mother also lived in the
apartment, but was visiting family in Rochester when the girl was killed.
Madera reportedly phoned her mother to tell her of the slaying, and the mother
called Niagara Falls police. She was taken to Niagara Falls Memorial Medical
Center after her arrest for a psychiatric evaluation. Subsequent History:
Madera pleaded not guilty during her arraignment on July 26, 2004, and was sent
to Niagara County Jail in lieu of $250,000 bail. Madera was then committed to
Rochester Psychiatric Center in August 2004 after a ruling that she was not
competent to be tried. However, state doctors in December 2004 said she was
competent. She was returned to Niagara County Jail. Source: The Buffalo News,
July 19 & 24, 2004; WIVB, July 21, 2004; Daily News (New York) April 13,
2005

Date: 7/2004

Location: Canastota, Madison, NY

Summary: A Syracuse man, Patrick S. Lanno, 45, was arrested on
July 14, 2004 in Canastota, NY for abducting and hitting his wife, holding her
against her will during a car trip that spanned three counties, and violating
an order of protection. Lanno has a bipolar disorder that was not properly
medicated, said his attorney, David Primo. It was a missed medication that sent
him into the "tailspin" that led to his arrest, Primo said. After his
arrest, Lanno was freed on $25,000 cash bail on a felony charge of criminal
contempt and a misdemeanor charge of menacing. Subsequent History: A few days
after Lanno's arrest, he was sent to Central New York Psychiatric Center for an
evaluation with psychiatrist Jean Liu. Liu testified that she diagnosed Lanno
with bipolar disorder type 1. The district attorney's office sought to have
Lanno indicted on felony kidnapping and robbery charges Prior History: Lanno
had been hospitalized at St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center several weeks
before the incident, and was diagnosed "deep depression" and
prescribed Zoloft. Lanno's prior criminal record includes a felony conviction
for possessing stolen property and a charge of unlicensed practice of law.
Primo said the unlicensed practice of law charge comes out of helping four
friends get out of traffic tickets in Onondaga County. Lanno had learned the
process while having a lawyer take care of one of his tickets and had business
cards printed up advertising his ability. Source: The Post-Standard (Syracuse,
NY), August 10, 2004; Syracuse Post Standard, June 30, 2005

Date: 8/2004

Location: Huntington Station, Suffolk, NY

Summary: On August 14, 2004, Jerell Harris, a homeless man with a
known history of mental illness, shot and wounded a police officer after an
altercation in Huntington Station, NY. That day, family members had called
police after a domestic dispute, fearing Harris might hurt himself. When police
arrived, Harris wrestled three officers before grabbing the gun of Officer
Michael Coscia, 26, and shooting him in the abdomen, police said. Coscia
survived. Lanise Felder, Harris' girlfriend, said police often taunted Harris
on the car loudspeaker, saying things like, "How you doing today Jerell?
What's going on? Did you take a shower? You stink." She said she saw
Coscia's picture in news reports about the incident and recognized him as one
of the officers she'd seen taunting Harris in the past. Harris, who also struck
a deputy in the face as he was being taken out of his holding cell for his
arraignment, pleaded not guilty to attempted murder, second-degree assault,
resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. Judge Paul Hensley ordered Harris held
at the Suffolk County jail in Riverhead without bail. Subsequent History:
Harris pleaded guilty in Septmeber 2005 to two counts of first-degree attempted
murder and nine other charges. On October 18, 2005, he was sentenced to 17
years in prison. Harris also pleaded guilty to criminal possession of a weapon,
robbery, four assault charges, resisting arrest, obstructing governmental
administration and disorderly conduct. Prior History: Police said Harris has 26
prior arrests in Suffolk County for crimes including drug sale and possession,
criminal possession of a weapon, assault, menacing and robbery. Harris had been
diagnosed at Stony Brook University Hospital with a chemical imbalance during
one of his stints in jail. When he returned to jail after his initial
diagnosis, Felder said he would call and say he was being given Thorazine, an
anti-psychotic drug, which she believes, worsened his mental state. After his
release from jail, Harris was know to pace the streets talking and laughing to
himself and to argue with trees. He would sometimes walk, 10-mile stretches at
a time, from his Huntington Station neighborhood in Suffolk's Second Precinct
to Wyandanch. Once when the family tried to take him to Pilgrim Psychiatric
Center in Brentwood, Felder said Harris jumped out of the car. "He would
say, 'I don't want any help from the state because the state is what did this
to me,'" she said. Source: Newsday (NY), August 16, 2004; New York Daily
News, October 19, 2005

Date: 10/2003

Location: Albany, Albany, NY

Summary: Bart Browne, a 33-year-old man with schizophrenia, was
accused of punching a man outside an Albany, NY bar on October 10, 2003 because
he was upset to see him kissing another male. The single punch broke the
28-year-old victim's jaw and caused a permanent loss of feeling in his left cheek.
Mary and Stephen Browne acknowledge their son suffered from a variety of mental
problems, including schizophrenia, and don't deny he struck the man. But they
insist Browne didn't attack the man because he was gay. "When the
schizophrenia would rise up, it was all about anger, frustration and
rage," she said. "But he would have great periods of calm in
between." In an oral statement to Albany Detective Michael Nadoraski,
Browne allegedly said he'd had a bad day when he hit the victim. He also said
homosexuals "think life is a big joke. "Witnesses said they saw
Browne hit the man, then scream for the "faggots" to stop following
him as witnesses gave chase, said Albany County District Attorney Paul Clyne.
Mary Browne said her son was agitated because he totaled his vehicle in a
head-on crash that morning, a week after two of his best friends were killed in
a collision. Subsequent History: On May 15, 2004, Browne hung himself at his
family's farm outside Albany, NY. Two weeks earlier, he had pleaded guilty to
second-degree assault under the state's hate crimes law to avoid a trial and a
possible 15 years behind bars, his mother, Mary Browne said. The plea deal with
the Albany County district attorney's office would have sent the father of two
to state prison for up to four years. Browne was scheduled to be sentenced on
June 24, 2004. Source: Albany Times Union, August 30, 2004

Date: 8/2004

Location: Brooklyn, Kings, NY

Summary: On August 4, 2004, Richard Figueroa, 26, a man with
schizophrenia, was shot and wounded by police after he charged at them with a
10-inch butcher knife in his home in Brooklyn, NY. The incident occurred after
Figueroa's mother called a private ambulance company to intervene with her son,
who was threatening to kill her and other family members. When the ambulance
arrived, Figueroa started charging at the window of the vehicle with the
butcher knife. Police were called, and witnesses said that Figueroa ignored
several commands to freeze and drop his weapon, and kept advancing toward the officers.
An officer then fired several times and hit Figueroa in the abdomen. His
brother, Joe Figueroa, 44, who was across the street, was hit in the leg by a
bullet that ricocheted, a police source said. Both were taken to Bellevue
Hospital Center, where Richard Figueroa was admitted in critical condition.
Figueroa's relatives said his illness worsened three or four years earlier
after he returned from a six-month stint as an army reservist. His mother,
Anna, said Figueroa had not skipped his medication but "was out of
control" and hadn't slept for four days before the incident. He was first
diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1997. Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said
that the use of deadly force Figueroa appeared justified. Subsequent History:
Figueroa was charged with reckless endangerment, assault with intent to cause
physical injury with a weapon, menacing and criminal possession of a weapon.
Source: Newsday (New York), September 5 & 6, 2004 New York Daily News,
September 6 & 7, 2004

Date: 8/2004

Location: Brooklyn, Kings, NY

Summary: On August 4, 2004, Richard Figueroa, 26, a man with
schizophrenia, was shot and wounded by police after he charged at them with a
10-inch butcher knife in his home in Brooklyn, NY. The incident occurred after
Figueroa's mother called a private ambulance company to intervene with her son,
who was threatening to kill her and other family members. When the ambulance
arrived, Figueroa started charging at the window of the vehicle with the
butcher knife. Police were called, and witnesses said that Figueroa ignored
several commands to freeze and drop his weapon, and kept advancing toward the
officers. An officer then fired several times and hit Figueroa in the abdomen.
His brother, Joe Figueroa, 44, who was across the street, was hit in the leg by
a bullet that ricocheted, a police source said. Both were taken to Bellevue
Hospital Center, where Richard Figueroa was admitted in critical condition.
Figueroa's relatives said his illness worsened three or four years earlier
after he returned from a six-month stint as an army reservist. His mother,
Anna, said Figueroa had not skipped his medication but "was out of
control" and hadn't slept for four days before the incident. He was first
diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1997. Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said
that the use of deadly force Figueroa appeared justified. Subsequent History:
Figueroa was charged with reckless endangerment, assault with intent to cause
physical injury with a weapon, menacing and criminal possession of a weapon.
Source: Newsday (New York), September 5 & 6, 2004 New York Daily News,
September 6 & 7, 2004

Date: 8/2004

Location: Brooklyn, Kings, NY

Summary: On August 4, 2004, Richard Figueroa, 26, a man with
schizophrenia, was shot and wounded by police after he charged at them with a
10-inch butcher knife in his home in Brooklyn, NY. The incident occurred after
Figueroa's mother called a private ambulance company to intervene with her son,
who was threatening to kill her and other family members. When the ambulance
arrived, Figueroa started charging at the window of the vehicle with the
butcher knife. Police were called, and witnesses said that Figueroa ignored
several commands to freeze and drop his weapon, and kept advancing toward the
officers. An officer then fired several times and hit Figueroa in the abdomen.
His brother, Joe Figueroa, 44, who was across the street, was hit in the leg by
a bullet that ricocheted, a police source said. Both were taken to Bellevue
Hospital Center, where Richard Figueroa was admitted in critical condition.
Figueroa's relatives said his illness worsened three or four years earlier
after he returned from a six-month stint as an army reservist. His mother,
Anna, said Figueroa had not skipped his medication but "was out of control"
and hadn't slept for four days before the incident. He was first diagnosed with
schizophrenia in 1997. Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said that the use of
deadly force Figueroa appeared justified. Subsequent History: Figueroa was
charged with reckless endangerment, assault with intent to cause physical
injury with a weapon, menacing and criminal possession of a weapon. Source:
Newsday (New York), September 5 & 6, 2004 New York Daily News, September 6
& 7, 2004

Date: 3/2003

Location: Brooklyn, Kings, NY

Summary: Martin Fairhurst, a 28-year-old man with mental illness,
lured four boys from a video store to his parents' home in Brooklyn, NY and
sexually assaulted them between March and April 2003. Fairhurst befriended the
three 11-year-olds and a 14-year-old at the video store they visited after
school. He gave them quarters to play the games, one victim said, and then
lured them back to where he lived with his parents, where he said they could
play pool. He also offered to smoke marijuana with them, but actually only gave
them tobacco. He also showed the boys child pornography, then pulled them into
a separate room and forced them to perform sexual acts. Subsequent History: On
September 16, 2004, Fairhurst was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Fairhurst, who
is hearing-impaired, told the judge he suffers from schizophrenia and other
medical and psychological ailments. But the judge branded Fairhurst "a
menace to society" whose tendency to sexually assault children is
"pathologically ingrained." Prior History: Fairhurst served time in
1996 for assaulting two other boys. Source: The New York Daily News, September
15, 2004

Date: 3/2003

Location: Brooklyn, Kings, NY

Summary: Martin Fairhurst, a 28-year-old man with mental illness,
lured four boys from a video store to his parents' home in Brooklyn, NY and
sexually assaulted them between March and April 2003. Fairhurst befriended the
three 11-year-olds and a 14-year-old at the video store they visited after
school. He gave them quarters to play the games, one victim said, and then
lured them back to where he lived with his parents, where he said they could
play pool. He also offered to smoke marijuana with them, but actually only gave
them tobacco. He also showed the boys child pornography, then pulled them into
a separate room and forced them to perform sexual acts. Subsequent History: On
September 16, 2004, Fairhurst was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Fairhurst,
who is hearing-impaired, told the judge he suffers from schizophrenia and other
medical and psychological ailments. But the judge branded Fairhurst "a
menace to society" whose tendency to sexually assault children is
"pathologically ingrained." Prior History: Fairhurst served time in
1996 for assaulting two other boys. Source: The New York Daily News, September
15, 2004

Date: 3/2003

Location: Brooklyn, Kings, NY

Summary: Martin Fairhurst, a 28-year-old man with mental illness,
lured four boys from a video store to his parents' home in Brooklyn, NY and
sexually assaulted them between March and April 2003. Fairhurst befriended the
three 11-year-olds and a 14-year-old at the video store they visited after
school. He gave them quarters to play the games, one victim said, and then
lured them back to where he lived with his parents, where he said they could play
pool. He also offered to smoke marijuana with them, but actually only gave them
tobacco. He also showed the boys child pornography, then pulled them into a
separate room and forced them to perform sexual acts. Subsequent History: On
September 16, 2004, Fairhurst was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Fairhurst,
who is hearing-impaired, told the judge he suffers from schizophrenia and other
medical and psychological ailments. But the judge branded Fairhurst "a
menace to society" whose tendency to sexually assault children is
"pathologically ingrained." Prior History: Fairhurst served time in
1996 for assaulting two other boys. Source: The New York Daily News, September
15, 2004

Date: 3/2003

Location: Brooklyn, Kings, NY

Summary: Martin Fairhurst, a 28-year-old man with mental illness,
lured four boys from a video store to his parents' home in Brooklyn, NY and
sexually assaulted them between March and April 2003. Fairhurst befriended the
three 11-year-olds and a 14-year-old at the video store they visited after
school. He gave them quarters to play the games, one victim said, and then
lured them back to where he lived with his parents, where he said they could
play pool. He also offered to smoke marijuana with them, but actually only gave
them tobacco. He also showed the boys child pornography, then pulled them into
a separate room and forced them to perform sexual acts. Subsequent History: On
September 16, 2004, Fairhurst was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Fairhurst,
who is hearing-impaired, told the judge he suffers from schizophrenia and other
medical and psychological ailments. But the judge branded Fairhurst "a
menace to society" whose tendency to sexually assault children is
"pathologically ingrained." Prior History: Fairhurst served time in
1996 for assaulting two other boys. Source: The New York Daily News, September
15, 2004

Date: 2/2004

Location: Syracuse, Onondaga, NY

Summary: Jason Naradzay, 39, was arrested after neighbors saw him
walking with a rifle through the suburban Syracuse, NY neighborhood of Geddes
on February 5, 2004. The weapon, which he dropped moments before a patrol car's
arrival, had four rounds of ammunition inside and deputies said Naradzay had 21
more rounds in his coat. Police also found two index cards on Naradzay,
highlighted in blue marker and signaling his intentions to kill a nearby couple
and their three children. Naradzay's explanation for the list: "I'm an
accountant . . . I do lists all the time." According to police reports,
Naradzay said he wanted to kill the woman and her family because the woman
broke off a six-month affair. At trial, the woman denied they had ever had a
relationship. Prior History: Naradzay was diagnosed with bipolar disorder 14
years earlier and had been in mental institutions in 1990 and 1998. Subsequent
History: On September 27, 2004, a state Supreme Court jury convicted Naradzay
on two counts of attempted second-degree murder, as well as counts of burglary
and criminal possession of a weapon. At the start of the trial, Justice John
Brunetti dismissed three other charges of attempted second-degree murder
against Naradzay. He faces five to 25 years in prison at his sentencing,
scheduled for Oct. 25. A court-ordered psychiatric evaluation in February found
that Naradzay was able to understand the charges against him and stand trial.
Source: Ithaca Journal /AP, September 21, 2004 The Associated Press, September
22, 2004 Newsday, September 28, 2004

Date: 2/2004

Location: Syracuse, Onondaga, NY

Summary: Jason Naradzay, 39, was arrested after neighbors saw him
walking with a rifle through the suburban Syracuse, NY neighborhood of Geddes
on February 5, 2004. The weapon, which he dropped moments before a patrol car's
arrival, had four rounds of ammunition inside and deputies said Naradzay had 21
more rounds in his coat. Police also found two index cards on Naradzay,
highlighted in blue marker and signaling his intentions to kill a nearby couple
and their three children. Naradzay's explanation for the list: "I'm an
accountant . . . I do lists all the time." According to police reports,
Naradzay said he wanted to kill the woman and her family because the woman
broke off a six-month affair. At trial, the woman denied they had ever had a
relationship. Prior History: Naradzay was diagnosed with bipolar disorder 14
years earlier and had been in mental institutions in 1990 and 1998. Subsequent
History: On September 27, 2004, a state Supreme Court jury convicted Naradzay
on two counts of attempted second-degree murder, as well as counts of burglary
and criminal possession of a weapon. At the start of the trial, Justice John
Brunetti dismissed three other charges of attempted second-degree murder
against Naradzay. He faces five to 25 years in prison at his sentencing,
scheduled for Oct. 25. A court-ordered psychiatric evaluation in February found
that Naradzay was able to understand the charges against him and stand trial.
Source: Ithaca Journal /AP, September 21, 2004 The Associated Press, September
22, 2004 Newsday, September 28, 2004

Date: 2/2004

Location: Syracuse, Onondaga, NY

Summary: Jason Naradzay, 39, was arrested after neighbors saw him
walking with a rifle through the suburban Syracuse, NY neighborhood of Geddes
on February 5, 2004. The weapon, which he dropped moments before a patrol car's
arrival, had four rounds of ammunition inside and deputies said Naradzay had 21
more rounds in his coat. Police also found two index cards on Naradzay,
highlighted in blue marker and signaling his intentions to kill a nearby couple
and their three children. Naradzay's explanation for the list: "I'm an
accountant . . . I do lists all the time." According to police reports,
Naradzay said he wanted to kill the woman and her family because the woman
broke off a six-month affair. At trial, the woman denied they had ever had a relationship.
Prior History: Naradzay was diagnosed with bipolar disorder 14 years earlier
and had been in mental institutions in 1990 and 1998. Subsequent History: On
September 27, 2004, a state Supreme Court jury convicted Naradzay on two counts
of attempted second-degree murder, as well as counts of burglary and criminal
possession of a weapon. At the start of the trial, Justice John Brunetti
dismissed three other charges of attempted second-degree murder against
Naradzay. He faces five to 25 years in prison at his sentencing, scheduled for
Oct. 25. A court-ordered psychiatric evaluation in February found that Naradzay
was able to understand the charges against him and stand trial. Source: Ithaca
Journal /AP, September 21, 2004 The Associated Press, September 22, 2004
Newsday, September 28, 2004

Date: 2/2004

Location: Syracuse, Onondaga, NY

Summary: Jason Naradzay, 39, was arrested after neighbors saw him
walking with a rifle through the suburban Syracuse, NY neighborhood of Geddes
on February 5, 2004. The weapon, which he dropped moments before a patrol car's
arrival, had four rounds of ammunition inside and deputies said Naradzay had 21
more rounds in his coat. Police also found two index cards on Naradzay,
highlighted in blue marker and signaling his intentions to kill a nearby couple
and their three children. Naradzay's explanation for the list: "I'm an
accountant . . . I do lists all the time." According to police reports,
Naradzay said he wanted to kill the woman and her family because the woman
broke off a six-month affair. At trial, the woman denied they had ever had a
relationship. Prior History: Naradzay was diagnosed with bipolar disorder 14
years earlier and had been in mental institutions in 1990 and 1998. Subsequent
History: On September 27, 2004, a state Supreme Court jury convicted Naradzay
on two counts of attempted second-degree murder, as well as counts of burglary
and criminal possession of a weapon. At the start of the trial, Justice John
Brunetti dismissed three other charges of attempted second-degree murder
against Naradzay. He faces five to 25 years in prison at his sentencing,
scheduled for Oct. 25. A court-ordered psychiatric evaluation in February found
that Naradzay was able to understand the charges against him and stand trial. Source:
Ithaca Journal /AP, September 21, 2004 The Associated Press, September 22, 2004
Newsday, September 28, 2004

Date: 2/2004

Location: Syracuse, Onondaga, NY

Summary: Jason Naradzay, 39, was arrested after neighbors saw him
walking with a rifle through the suburban Syracuse, NY neighborhood of Geddes
on February 5, 2004. The weapon, which he dropped moments before a patrol car's
arrival, had four rounds of ammunition inside and deputies said Naradzay had 21
more rounds in his coat. Police also found two index cards on Naradzay,
highlighted in blue marker and signaling his intentions to kill a nearby couple
and their three children. Naradzay's explanation for the list: "I'm an
accountant . . . I do lists all the time." According to police reports,
Naradzay said he wanted to kill the woman and her family because the woman
broke off a six-month affair. At trial, the woman denied they had ever had a
relationship. Prior History: Naradzay was diagnosed with bipolar disorder 14
years earlier and had been in mental institutions in 1990 and 1998. Subsequent
History: On September 27, 2004, a state Supreme Court jury convicted Naradzay
on two counts of attempted second-degree murder, as well as counts of burglary
and criminal possession of a weapon. At the start of the trial, Justice John
Brunetti dismissed three other charges of attempted second-degree murder
against Naradzay. He faces five to 25 years in prison at his sentencing,
scheduled for Oct. 25. A court-ordered psychiatric evaluation in February found
that Naradzay was able to understand the charges against him and stand trial.
Source: Ithaca Journal /AP, September 21, 2004 The Associated Press, September
22, 2004 Newsday, September 28, 2004

Date: 2/2004

Location: Southampton, Suffolk, NY

Summary: On February 4, 2004, 35-year-old David Glowczenski's
parents dialed 911 for help in subduing their son. Four police officers from
the Southampton, NY police department arrived and found him screaming and
wailing incomprehensively. Within moments, all five were in a wrestling match.
It took more than two minutes for the officers, using Mace and a stun gun, to
get Glowczenski on his stomach with his hands cuffed behind his back. He
continued to kick and scream, but abruptly stopped. The officers told
investigators that when they turned Glowczenski over on his back, they noticed
he was unconscious and not breathing. Less than an hour later, he was
pronounced dead at Southampton Hospital. Glowczenski's family said he was
treated with unnecessary force. Det. Lt. Jack Fitzpatrick of the Suffolk police
homicide unit said the officers acted properly, and that Glowczenski, who was
schizophrenic, had taken himself off his medication a week earlier. The
incident began when Glowczenski overheard his mother and two brothers talking about
their plans to hospitalize him. Subsequent History: On September 20, 2004,
Glowczenski's family filed a lawsuit in Federal District Court against the
Village of Southampton, its Police Department and Suffolk County. The family
also sued Taser International Inc. for $1 billion. The complaint said that
Glowczenski was beaten, sprayed with Chemical Mace and shocked nine times with
a Taser by the four police officers. The Suffolk County medical examiner's
office termed the death natural, and due to "acute exhaustive mania due to
schizophrenia." Glowczenski's family later hired an independent
pathologist to review reports from two separate autopsies and other materials
about his death.The investigator found that Glowczenski sustained injuries from
excessive force and did not die from natural causes, the family said. In May
2005, the Justice Department opened it's own criminal investigation Prior
History: The police had responded to calls about Glowczenski's behavior over 40
times in the past five years, according to Suffolk County police. His sister
took out a restraining order against him in 2000 and 2001. Glowczenski had been
institutionalized twice prior to his death. Source: Newsday (New York), April
11, 2004; New York Times, September 21, 2004; Daily News, September 21, 2004;
Daily News, April 21, 2005; Long Island Newsday, June 7, 2005

Date: 2/2004

Location: Southampton, Suffolk, NY

Summary: On February 4, 2004, 35-year-old David Glowczenski's
parents dialed 911 for help in subduing their son. Four police officers from
the Southampton, NY police department arrived and found him screaming and
wailing incomprehensively. Within moments, all five were in a wrestling match.
It took more than two minutes for the officers, using Mace and a stun gun, to
get Glowczenski on his stomach with his hands cuffed behind his back. He
continued to kick and scream, but abruptly stopped. The officers told
investigators that when they turned Glowczenski over on his back, they noticed
he was unconscious and not breathing. Less than an hour later, he was
pronounced dead at Southampton Hospital. Glowczenski's family said he was
treated with unnecessary force. Det. Lt. Jack Fitzpatrick of the Suffolk police
homicide unit said the officers acted properly, and that Glowczenski, who was
schizophrenic, had taken himself off his medication a week earlier. The
incident began when Glowczenski overheard his mother and two brothers talking
about their plans to hospitalize him. Subsequent History: On September 20,
2004, Glowczenski's family filed a lawsuit in Federal District Court against
the Village of Southampton, its Police Department and Suffolk County. The
family also sued Taser International Inc. for $1 billion. The complaint said
that Glowczenski was beaten, sprayed with Chemical Mace and shocked nine times
with a Taser by the four police officers. The Suffolk County medical examiner's
office termed the death natural, and due to "acute exhaustive mania due to
schizophrenia." Glowczenski's family later hired an independent pathologist
to review reports from two separate autopsies and other materials about his
death.The investigator found that Glowczenski sustained injuries from excessive
force and did not die from natural causes, the family said. In May 2005, the
Justice Department opened it's own criminal investigation Prior History: The
police had responded to calls about Glowczenski's behavior over 40 times in the
past five years, according to Suffolk County police. His sister took out a
restraining order against him in 2000 and 2001. Glowczenski had been
institutionalized twice prior to his death. Source: Newsday (New York), April
11, 2004; New York Times, September 21, 2004; Daily News, September 21, 2004;
Daily News, April 21, 2005; Long Island Newsday, June 7, 2005

Date: 2/2004

Location: Southampton, Suffolk, NY

Summary: On February 4, 2004, 35-year-old David Glowczenski's
parents dialed 911 for help in subduing their son. Four police officers from
the Southampton, NY police department arrived and found him screaming and
wailing incomprehensively. Within moments, all five were in a wrestling match.
It took more than two minutes for the officers, using Mace and a stun gun, to
get Glowczenski on his stomach with his hands cuffed behind his back. He
continued to kick and scream, but abruptly stopped. The officers told
investigators that when they turned Glowczenski over on his back, they noticed
he was unconscious and not breathing. Less than an hour later, he was
pronounced dead at Southampton Hospital. Glowczenski's family said he was
treated with unnecessary force. Det. Lt. Jack Fitzpatrick of the Suffolk police
homicide unit said the officers acted properly, and that Glowczenski, who was
schizophrenic, had taken himself off his medication a week earlier. The
incident began when Glowczenski overheard his mother and two brothers talking
about their plans to hospitalize him. Subsequent History: On September 20,
2004, Glowczenski's family filed a lawsuit in Federal District Court against
the Village of Southampton, its Police Department and Suffolk County. The
family also sued Taser International Inc. for $1 billion. The complaint said
that Glowczenski was beaten, sprayed with Chemical Mace and shocked nine times
with a Taser by the four police officers. The Suffolk County medical examiner's
office termed the death natural, and due to "acute exhaustive mania due to
schizophrenia." Glowczenski's family later hired an independent
pathologist to review reports from two separate autopsies and other materials
about his death.The investigator found that Glowczenski sustained injuries from
excessive force and did not die from natural causes, the family said. In May
2005, the Justice Department opened it's own criminal investigation Prior
History: The police had responded to calls about Glowczenski's behavior over 40
times in the past five years, according to Suffolk County police. His sister
took out a restraining order against him in 2000 and 2001. Glowczenski had been
institutionalized twice prior to his death. Source: Newsday (New York), April 11,
2004; New York Times, September 21, 2004; Daily News, September 21, 2004; Daily
News, April 21, 2005; Long Island Newsday, June 7, 2005

Date: 2/2004

Location: Southampton, Suffolk, NY

Summary: On February 4, 2004, 35-year-old David Glowczenski's
parents dialed 911 for help in subduing their son. Four police officers from
the Southampton, NY police department arrived and found him screaming and
wailing incomprehensively. Within moments, all five were in a wrestling match.
It took more than two minutes for the officers, using Mace and a stun gun, to
get Glowczenski on his stomach with his hands cuffed behind his back. He
continued to kick and scream, but abruptly stopped. The officers told
investigators that when they turned Glowczenski over on his back, they noticed
he was unconscious and not breathing. Less than an hour later, he was
pronounced dead at Southampton Hospital. Glowczenski's family said he was
treated with unnecessary force. Det. Lt. Jack Fitzpatrick of the Suffolk police
homicide unit said the officers acted properly, and that Glowczenski, who was
schizophrenic, had taken himself off his medication a week earlier. The
incident began when Glowczenski overheard his mother and two brothers talking
about their plans to hospitalize him. Subsequent History: On September 20,
2004, Glowczenski's family filed a lawsuit in Federal District Court against
the Village of Southampton, its Police Department and Suffolk County. The
family also sued Taser International Inc. for $1 billion. The complaint said that
Glowczenski was beaten, sprayed with Chemical Mace and shocked nine times with
a Taser by the four police officers. The Suffolk County medical examiner's
office termed the death natural, and due to "acute exhaustive mania due to
schizophrenia." Glowczenski's family later hired an independent
pathologist to review reports from two separate autopsies and other materials
about his death.The investigator found that Glowczenski sustained injuries from
excessive force and did not die from natural causes, the family said. In May
2005, the Justice Department opened it's own criminal investigation Prior
History: The police had responded to calls about Glowczenski's behavior over 40
times in the past five years, according to Suffolk County police. His sister took
out a restraining order against him in 2000 and 2001. Glowczenski had been
institutionalized twice prior to his death. Source: Newsday (New York), April
11, 2004; New York Times, September 21, 2004; Daily News, September 21, 2004;
Daily News, April 21, 2005; Long Island Newsday, June 7, 2005

Date: 9/2004

Location: Syracuse, Onondaga, NY

Summary: Karen Michelle Jefferson, 33, was shot after she lunged
toward a police officer with a butcher knife at her home in Syracuse, NY on
September 19, 2004. Jefferson had been threatening two other people with the
knife when officers arrived at Ballantyne Garden apartments. An officer
repeatedly shouted to Jefferson to drop the knife, and she then raised it over
her head and charged at him. Once the officer shot Jefferson, he called for an
ambulance and administered medical aid until paramedics arrived. Investigators
said Jefferson had been acting irrationally and don't believe she knew the two
people she had been threatening before police arrived. Mary Anne Singleton, an
official at her apartment complex, said Jefferson has schizophrenia and
receives government assistance for her housing payments. Jefferson was listed
in serious condition at University Hospital. Apartment complex workers said she
would probably be evicted because regulations there prohibit the use of drugs
or violence. A grand jury will eventually determine whether the shooting was
justified. Prior History: Years earlier, Jefferson had been evicted from the
apartment complex for exhibiting threatening behavior, but moved back about
five years ago and had not any problems since that time. Source: The
Post-Standard (Syracuse), September 21, 2004

Date: 1/2004

Location: Middletown, Orange, NY

Summary: April Trinka, 20, tried to strangle a fellow patient at Middletown
Psychiatric Center in Middletown, NY with a necktie on January 4, 2004. She was
charged with attempted murder. Trinka told state police investigators that she
found the tie in a box of donated clothing while she was a patient at Orange
Regional Medical Center. Trinka took the tie with her when she was transferred
to Middletown Psychiatric Center. She planned to strangle herself, according to
court records. Subsequent History: In October 2004, Trink accepted a plea
bargain that reduced the attempted murder charge to an attempted assault
charge. Trinka was sentenced to five years in prison. Prosecutors requested 10
years. "You can be mentally ill, in need of care and treatment - even
involuntary treatment - and still be competent to stand trial," said
Marvin Bernstein, chief lawyer for Mental Hygiene Legal Services in New York
City. Prior History: Trinka's mother, Linda, said her daughter was diagnosed
with post-traumatic stress disorder and had previous repeated stays in mental
hospitals. She said the attempted strangling incident at Middletown began when
she checked her daughter into the mental health unit at Orange Regional Medical
Center in Goshen after her daughter stabbed a family cat to death. Source:
Times Herald Record (NY), October 6, 2004

Date: 10/2004

Location: Brooklyn, Kings, NY

Summary: A woman jealous of her ex-husband's new wife scrawled
swastikas on 20 different sites in Brooklyn and Queens during a three-day
period ending October 18, 2004. Police said Olga Abramovich, 49, of Bay Ridge,
Brooklyn, confessed to spraying the swastikas. She was charged with criminal
mischief and related charges. Abramovich painted swastikas on Jewish synagogues
and community centers at Sheepshead Bay and Manhattan Beach. She also targeted
her ex-husband's car in front of his Ozone Park, Queens home and painted
swastikas on two police cruisers at Coney Island. Abramovich, who is Russian
Orthodox, resented her ex-husband, Lev Abramovich, 49, for marrying another
woman, police said. According to a police source, Olga Abramovich suffers from
bipolar disorder. Source: The New York Sun, October 19, 2004

Date: 9/2004

Location: Elmhurst, Queens, NY

Summary: Miguel Carrasquillo burst into Elmhurst Hospital Center
in Elmhurst, NY on September 11, 2004 and shot and wounded a worker there
before dragging out his estranged wife, Nancy, a clerical associate at the
hospital, under threats of death. He carjacked a vehicle and raped his wife at
a motel before forcing her onto a bus, prosecutors said. Carrasquillo, 33, was
arrested September 13 in Fayetteville, NC, and he tried to escape the next day
as police were returning him to New York. Subsequent History: In court on
October 25, 2004, Carrasquillo said he was hearing voices in jail, prompting
Justice William Erlbaum to order that Carrasquillo be evaluated in the Rikers
Island infirmary. Carrasquillo's startling assertion came at the end of an
appearance in State Supreme Court. He was arraigned the week before on
kidnapping, rape and attempted murder charges, and faces life in prison. His
relatives said there was a history of schizophrenia in their family and that
Carrasquillo has shown signs of it since his younger brother died in a car
accident six years earlier. Source: WPIX-TV (NY), October 26, 2004

Date: 9/2004

Location: Elmhurst, Queens, NY

Summary: Miguel Carrasquillo burst into Elmhurst Hospital Center
in Elmhurst, NY on September 11, 2004 and shot and wounded a worker there
before dragging out his estranged wife, Nancy, a clerical associate at the
hospital, under threats of death. He carjacked a vehicle and raped his wife at
a motel before forcing her onto a bus, prosecutors said. Carrasquillo, 33, was
arrested September 13 in Fayetteville, NC, and he tried to escape the next day
as police were returning him to New York. Subsequent History: In court on
October 25, 2004, Carrasquillo said he was hearing voices in jail, prompting
Justice William Erlbaum to order that Carrasquillo be evaluated in the Rikers
Island infirmary. Carrasquillo's startling assertion came at the end of an
appearance in State Supreme Court. He was arraigned the week before on
kidnapping, rape and attempted murder charges, and faces life in prison. His
relatives said there was a history of schizophrenia in their family and that
Carrasquillo has shown signs of it since his younger brother died in a car
accident six years earlier. Source: WPIX-TV (NY), October 26, 2004

Date: 10/2004

Location: Brooklyn, Kings, NY

Summary: In Brooklyn, NY, Kwesi Ashun, an 18-year-old high school
senior with bipolar disorder, approached Officer James Sinnott and attacked him
with a knife on October 30, 2004, slicing his face from ear to neck. Officer
Sinnott, who had been on foot patrol in Prospect Park South, called for backup.
Responding officers Brian Risano and Matthew Koeth subdued Ashun - who was
clutching a butcher knife and a folding knife - with clubs and pepper spray,
but not before Risano suffered a head injury. Ashun was admitted to Kings
County Hospital as an "emotionally disturbed person" and later transferred
to Bellevue, police said. Prior History: A month before the attack, Ashun's
family said he had became so depressed and withdrawn that they took him for a
psychiatric evaluation. He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and prescribed
Zyprexa. Source: New York Daily News, November 1, 2004

Date: 10/2004

Location: Brooklyn, Kings, NY

Summary: In Brooklyn, NY, Kwesi Ashun, an 18-year-old high school
senior with bipolar disorder, approached Officer James Sinnott and attacked him
with a knife on October 30, 2004, slicing his face from ear to neck. Officer
Sinnott, who had been on foot patrol in Prospect Park South, called for backup.
Responding officers Brian Risano and Matthew Koeth subdued Ashun - who was
clutching a butcher knife and a folding knife - with clubs and pepper spray,
but not before Risano suffered a head injury. Ashun was admitted to Kings
County Hospital as an "emotionally disturbed person" and later
transferred to Bellevue, police said. Prior History: A month before the attack,
Ashun's family said he had became so depressed and withdrawn that they took him
for a psychiatric evaluation. He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and
prescribed Zyprexa. Source: New York Daily News, November 1, 2004

Date: 10/2004

Location: Brooklyn, Kings, NY

Summary: In Brooklyn, NY, Kwesi Ashun, an 18-year-old high school
senior with bipolar disorder, approached Officer James Sinnott and attacked him
with a knife on October 30, 2004, slicing his face from ear to neck. Officer
Sinnott, who had been on foot patrol in Prospect Park South, called for backup.
Responding officers Brian Risano and Matthew Koeth subdued Ashun - who was
clutching a butcher knife and a folding knife - with clubs and pepper spray,
but not before Risano suffered a head injury. Ashun was admitted to Kings
County Hospital as an "emotionally disturbed person" and later
transferred to Bellevue, police said. Prior History: A month before the attack,
Ashun's family said he had became so depressed and withdrawn that they took him
for a psychiatric evaluation. He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and
prescribed Zyprexa. Source: New York Daily News, November 1, 2004

Date: 11/2004

Location: Queens, Queens, NY

Summary: Steven Boyd shot a delusional 44-year-old homeless man,
according to authorities James Gaviglia, 38, underneath the Grand Central
Parkway in Queens, NY on November 10, 2004. Boyd had been on the street since
his mother died and he was evicted from her Brooklyn apartment four years
earlier. He had been carting his mother's cremated ashes and talking to trees.
Gaviglia had befriended Boyd in the days leading up to the shooting, police
said. Boyd was arrested at the scene and later charged with murder and criminal
possession of a weapon. Subsequent History: On December 21, 2004, a judge ruled
that Boyd was not competent enough to stand trial and ordered him sent to a
psychiatric center. An eight-page psychological report said he had
schizophrenia, was on anti-psychotic drugs and should be hospitalized, defense
lawyer Michael Anastasiou said. Prosecutors did not oppose the ruling. On May
31, 2005, Boyd was deemed competent to stand trial. Source: New York Daily
News, November 14, 2004, December 22, 2004; Queens Times-Ledger, December 23,
2004; New York Daily News, June 1, 2005

Date: 2/2004

Location: East Greenbush, Rensselaer, NY

Summary: On February 9, 2004, Jon W. Romano went to Columbia High
School in East Greenbush, NY, where he was a student, armed with a shotgun and
a plan to "shoot up the place" and then commit suicide. Romano, 17, randomly
fired the gun in the direction of other students and injured teacher Michael
Bennett before being stopped by Assistant Principal John Sawchuck. In Romano's
statement to authorities, he told them his mother bought him the gun for target
shooting and hunting. Romano also told authorities that he had
"fantasies" of "shooting random people" for up to a year
before the moment he decided to act on his impulses. Subsequent History:
Against the advice of his lawyer, E. Stewart Jones, Romano waived his right for
a trial and pleaded guilty to three counts of second degree attempted murder
and six counts of first degree reckless endangerment for engaging in conduct
which created a grave risk of death to other people and showing depraved
indifference to human life. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Jones said
Romano had been admitted to Four Winds Hospital, a psychiatric facility, in
March 2003. Source: Troy Record (NY), November 23, 2004 Albany Times Union,
November 24, 2004 Albany Times Union, November 28, 2004

Date: 2/2004

Location: East Greenbush, Rensselaer, NY

Summary: On February 9, 2004, Jon W. Romano went to Columbia High
School in East Greenbush, NY, where he was a student, armed with a shotgun and
a plan to "shoot up the place" and then commit suicide. Romano, 17,
randomly fired the gun in the direction of other students and injured teacher
Michael Bennett before being stopped by Assistant Principal John Sawchuck. In
Romano's statement to authorities, he told them his mother bought him the gun for
target shooting and hunting. Romano also told authorities that he had
"fantasies" of "shooting random people" for up to a year
before the moment he decided to act on his impulses. Subsequent History:
Against the advice of his lawyer, E. Stewart Jones, Romano waived his right for
a trial and pleaded guilty to three counts of second degree attempted murder
and six counts of first degree reckless endangerment for engaging in conduct
which created a grave risk of death to other people and showing depraved indifference
to human life. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Jones said Romano had
been admitted to Four Winds Hospital, a psychiatric facility, in March 2003.
Source: Troy Record (NY), November 23, 2004 Albany Times Union, November 24,
2004 Albany Times Union, November 28, 2004

Date: 2/2004

Location: East Greenbush, Rensselaer, NY

Summary: On February 9, 2004, Jon W. Romano went to Columbia High
School in East Greenbush, NY, where he was a student, armed with a shotgun and
a plan to "shoot up the place" and then commit suicide. Romano, 17,
randomly fired the gun in the direction of other students and injured teacher
Michael Bennett before being stopped by Assistant Principal John Sawchuck. In
Romano's statement to authorities, he told them his mother bought him the gun
for target shooting and hunting. Romano also told authorities that he had
"fantasies" of "shooting random people" for up to a year
before the moment he decided to act on his impulses. Subsequent History:
Against the advice of his lawyer, E. Stewart Jones, Romano waived his right for
a trial and pleaded guilty to three counts of second degree attempted murder
and six counts of first degree reckless endangerment for engaging in conduct
which created a grave risk of death to other people and showing depraved
indifference to human life. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Jones said
Romano had been admitted to Four Winds Hospital, a psychiatric facility, in
March 2003. Source: Troy Record (NY), November 23, 2004 Albany Times Union,
November 24, 2004 Albany Times Union, November 28, 2004

Date: 10/2003

Location: New York, New York, NY

Summary: Retired Petty Officer Ambrose Kappos, 38, who suffers
from bipolar disorder, broke into the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City on
October 6, 2003 in an attempt to meet singer Sheryl Crow. Kappos said he
believed Crow was communicating with him telepathically. He was charged with
one misdemeanor count of intentionally stalking and a felony charge of breaking
and entering. At trial, prosecutors said Kappos had also visited Crow's sister
in Tennessee and her father in Missouri to profess his love. Subsequent
History: Kappos was found not guilty on November 30, 2004. The charges against
Kappos required jurors to believe that he broke into the concert hall with the
intention of harassing Crow. Kappos testified he was merely a love-struck
suitor who went to the ballroom to propose marriage because Crow told him to do
so telepathically. After the verdict, Kappos acknowledged that he was
delusional at the time of the incident. Source: New York Post, December 1,
2004

Date: 9/2003

Location: Staten Island, Richmond, NY

Summary: Steven Koplan, 46, a computer programmer from Staten
Island with mental illness, was accused of threatening to kill former NBC-TV
anchorman Tom Brokaw and downloading a glut of child pornography. Between
September 11 and November 21, 2003, Koplan inundated an MSNBC e-mail address
with 3,500 messages sent from his home computer, including 13 that threatened
Brokaw's life. After examining Koplan's computer in March 2004, authorities
allegedly found 32 lewd photographs of children and hundreds of other pictures.
In August 2004, Koplan was charged with 32 felony counts each of promoting a
sexual performance by a child and of possessing a sexual performance. He was
also charged with two misdemeanor counts of aggravated harassment for
threatening Brokaw. A court-ordered psychiatric exam found he suffered from
paranoid schizophrenia and delusion disorders, but declared him mentally fit to
stand trial. His attorney said that Koplan had not taken medication for his
disorders since 1997. Subsequent History: Koplan, 46, will not serve jail time
because of his mental illness. Instead, the Staten Island district attorney's
office said on March 18, 2005 that Koplan would be put on probation for 10
years and must allow probation officials to search his home computer. Source:
Staten Island Advance, December 14, 2004; New York Daily News - March 19, 2005

Date: 1/2005

Location: Claremont, Catawba, NY

Summary: On January 5, 2005, a man brandishing a double-bladed ax
attacked the police department in Claremont, NC, smashing 13 windows and
threatening an off-duty officer before police subdued him. Neither the suspect,
40-year-old Tony Allen Mitchell, nor any officers were hurt in the incident.
Mitchell came to the police department earlier in the week asking to be
committed to a mental institution. After the attack, officers served
involuntary commitment papers on Mitchell. The attack caused about $2,500 in
damage to the building. Source: Hendersonville Times News (NC), January 7,
2005

Date: 1/2005

Location: Troy, Rensselaer, NY

Summary: Philip Pitcher Jr., a 21-year-old man with bipolar
disorder, was charged with felony second-degree murder and felony second-degree
arson in the death of his aunt, 43-year-old Lisa Pitcher, in Troy, NY on
January 11, 2005. According to police, Lisa Pitcher had been stabbed, strangled
and smothered sometime around 5:30 a.m. Then Philip Pitcher allegedly turned on
the gas stove and set a fire in the living room before walking his 10-year-old
cousin to school and himself to work as a temporary laborer. Four other
residents were evacuated from the burning apartment building. Family members
said Pitcher's mother in Florida was trying to get him down there for
treatment, but he returned to New York before that happened to live with his
father. After his father kicked him out, Pitcher moved in with his aunt.
Subsequent History: Pitcher pleaded not guilty to murder, arson and reckless
endangerment charges. Prior History: At age 14, Pitcher was accused of
tampering with a fire escape at his school, injuring the principal. Although he
was acquitted of charges, he was sent to a youth detention center for 18
months. Source: WTEN-TV ABC 10 (NY) January 12, 2005 The Troy Record, January
13, 2005 The Troy Record, January 20, 2005

Date: 1/2005

Location: Troy, Rensselaer, NY

Summary: Philip Pitcher Jr., a 21-year-old man with bipolar
disorder, was charged with felony second-degree murder and felony second-degree
arson in the death of his aunt, 43-year-old Lisa Pitcher, in Troy, NY on
January 11, 2005. According to police, Lisa Pitcher had been stabbed, strangled
and smothered sometime around 5:30 a.m. Then Philip Pitcher allegedly turned on
the gas stove and set a fire in the living room before walking his 10-year-old
cousin to school and himself to work as a temporary laborer. Four other
residents were evacuated from the burning apartment building. Family members
said Pitcher's mother in Florida was trying to get him down there for
treatment, but he returned to New York before that happened to live with his
father. After his father kicked him out, Pitcher moved in with his aunt.
Subsequent History: Pitcher pleaded not guilty to murder, arson and reckless
endangerment charges. Prior History: At age 14, Pitcher was accused of
tampering with a fire escape at his school, injuring the principal. Although he
was acquitted of charges, he was sent to a youth detention center for 18
months. Source: WTEN-TV ABC 10 (NY) January 12, 2005 The Troy Record, January
13, 2005 The Troy Record, January 20, 2005

Date: 1/2005

Location: Troy, Rensselaer, NY

Summary: Philip Pitcher Jr., a 21-year-old man with bipolar
disorder, was charged with felony second-degree murder and felony second-degree
arson in the death of his aunt, 43-year-old Lisa Pitcher, in Troy, NY on
January 11, 2005. According to police, Lisa Pitcher had been stabbed, strangled
and smothered sometime around 5:30 a.m. Then Philip Pitcher allegedly turned on
the gas stove and set a fire in the living room before walking his 10-year-old
cousin to school and himself to work as a temporary laborer. Four other
residents were evacuated from the burning apartment building. Family members
said Pitcher's mother in Florida was trying to get him down there for
treatment, but he returned to New York before that happened to live with his
father. After his father kicked him out, Pitcher moved in with his aunt.
Subsequent History: Pitcher pleaded not guilty to murder, arson and reckless
endangerment charges. Prior History: At age 14, Pitcher was accused of
tampering with a fire escape at his school, injuring the principal. Although he
was acquitted of charges, he was sent to a youth detention center for 18
months. Source: WTEN-TV ABC 10 (NY) January 12, 2005 The Troy Record, January
13, 2005 The Troy Record, January 20, 2005

Date: 1/2005

Location: Troy, Rensselaer, NY

Summary: Philip Pitcher Jr., a 21-year-old man with bipolar
disorder, was charged with felony second-degree murder and felony second-degree
arson in the death of his aunt, 43-year-old Lisa Pitcher, in Troy, NY on
January 11, 2005. According to police, Lisa Pitcher had been stabbed, strangled
and smothered sometime around 5:30 a.m. Then Philip Pitcher allegedly turned on
the gas stove and set a fire in the living room before walking his 10-year-old
cousin to school and himself to work as a temporary laborer. Four other
residents were evacuated from the burning apartment building. Family members
said Pitcher's mother in Florida was trying to get him down there for
treatment, but he returned to New York before that happened to live with his
father. After his father kicked him out, Pitcher moved in with his aunt.
Subsequent History: Pitcher pleaded not guilty to murder, arson and reckless
endangerment charges. Prior History: At age 14, Pitcher was accused of
tampering with a fire escape at his school, injuring the principal. Although he
was acquitted of charges, he was sent to a youth detention center for 18
months. Source: WTEN-TV ABC 10 (NY) January 12, 2005 The Troy Record, January
13, 2005 The Troy Record, January 20, 2005

Date: 1/2005

Location: Troy, Rensselaer, NY

Summary: Philip Pitcher Jr., a 21-year-old man with bipolar
disorder, was charged with felony second-degree murder and felony second-degree
arson in the death of his aunt, 43-year-old Lisa Pitcher, in Troy, NY on
January 11, 2005. According to police, Lisa Pitcher had been stabbed, strangled
and smothered sometime around 5:30 a.m. Then Philip Pitcher allegedly turned on
the gas stove and set a fire in the living room before walking his 10-year-old
cousin to school and himself to work as a temporary laborer. Four other
residents were evacuated from the burning apartment building. Family members
said Pitcher's mother in Florida was trying to get him down there for
treatment, but he returned to New York before that happened to live with his
father. After his father kicked him out, Pitcher moved in with his aunt.
Subsequent History: Pitcher pleaded not guilty to murder, arson and reckless
endangerment charges. Prior History: At age 14, Pitcher was accused of
tampering with a fire escape at his school, injuring the principal. Although he
was acquitted of charges, he was sent to a youth detention center for 18 months.
Source: WTEN-TV ABC 10 (NY) January 12, 2005 The Troy Record, January 13, 2005
The Troy Record, January 20, 2005

Date: 10/2003

Location: Buffalo, Erie, NY

Summary: Michael "Ant" Morgan was arrested and charged
with killing and dismembering his live-in girlfriend after they had a fight in
their Buffalo, NY apartment on October 5, 2003. Susan Small, who had lived with
Morgan for about 18 months, was strangled and then dismembered. Her body was
discovered three weeks later in the apartment. Subsequent History: Morgan was
convicted on January 12, 2005 of second-degree murder. State Supreme Court
Justice Penny M. Wolfgang sent Morgan, who is diagnosed with paranoid
schizophrenia and has an IQ of 143, back to jail pending his March 16
sentencing. Morgan, who periodically has been on a suicide watch at the Erie
County Holding Center, must receive a prison term of at least 15 years to life.
Prosecutors were pushing for the judge to impose the maximum sentence of 25
years to life. Andrew C. LoTempio, Morgan's attorney, said the conviction would
be appealed. Source: Buffalo News, January 13, 2005

Date: 1/2005

Location: East Patchogue, Suffolk, NY

Summary: In January 2005, Alexander Rousseau, 50, was arrested for
violating an order of protection taken out against him by WALK 97.5 radio
station personality K.T. Mills. Rousseau apparently visited the radio station
in East Patchogue, NY to drop off a package for Mills on January 17, 2005. He
sent a second package through regular mail. Mills recognized the handwriting on
both packages as Rousseau's. For more than 12 years, Mills had been the target
of obsessed fan Rousseau, who sent her countless letters and gifts, including a
wedding ring and mock marriage license. Although she has never met Rousseau,
Mills said, "He thinks I've had a relationship and a baby with him."
Mills was surprised to hear from Rousseau, because she thought he was living in
a group home in Tampa, Florida. Rousseau was held in the Suffolk County Jail at
press time on a misdemeanor criminal contempt charge, punishable by up to one
year in jail. "I don't want to see him in prison," Mills said of
Rousseau. Instead, she would like to see Rousseau get the psychological help
she believes he needs - permanently. Prior History: Rousseau has had 16 different
charges leveled against him in the last decade, according to the Suffolk County
Police Department, among them aggravated harassment, trespassing and criminal
contempt. He has also been remanded to mental health facilities in Suffolk
County at least twice. Source: Suffolk Life Newspaper (Long Island, NY),
January 25, 2005

Date: 1/2005

Location: Bronx, , NY

Summary: A police officer shot and wounded a knife-wielding Bronx
teen after the mentally disturbed youth lunged at officers on January 26, 2005.
Nicholas Martin, 17, was hit by two police bullets in his family's apartment.
Martin's aunt dialed 911 that night saying Martin had not taken his medication
and was tearing up the apartment. Four officers arrived to find Martin sitting
on the sofa. His aunt and uncle and their four children, ages 5, 9, 13 and 14,
also were in the apartment. Martin agreed to go to the hospital, but became
agitated when police would not let him get an extra shirt from his bedroom,
which held a caged pit bull. Martin tried to push past one officer and then
pulled an 8-inch blade out of the back of his pants when officers surrounded
him. "One of the officers yells, 'Knife! Knife!' then shoots - bang,
bang," said the teen's adoptive father, Nicholas Martin Sr. "He
wasn't pointing the knife. It was low. I don't know if one of the cops got
scared or trigger-happy." Martin was taken to the hospital in critical
condition but is expected to recover. Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said
the shooting appeared justified. The family plans to hire a lawyer. Prior
History: Police had removed the teen from the home twice in 2004 without
incident. Medications for schizophrenia and attention deficit/hyperactivity
disorder were found in the home. Source: New York Daily News, January 27, 2005;Greenwich
Time, January 27, 2005

Date: 1/2005

Location: Bronx, , NY

Summary: A police officer shot and wounded a knife-wielding Bronx
teen after the mentally disturbed youth lunged at officers on January 26, 2005.
Nicholas Martin, 17, was hit by two police bullets in his family's apartment.
Martin's aunt dialed 911 that night saying Martin had not taken his medication
and was tearing up the apartment. Four officers arrived to find Martin sitting
on the sofa. His aunt and uncle and their four children, ages 5, 9, 13 and 14,
also were in the apartment. Martin agreed to go to the hospital, but became
agitated when police would not let him get an extra shirt from his bedroom,
which held a caged pit bull. Martin tried to push past one officer and then
pulled an 8-inch blade out of the back of his pants when officers surrounded
him. "One of the officers yells, 'Knife! Knife!' then shoots - bang,
bang," said the teen's adoptive father, Nicholas Martin Sr. "He
wasn't pointing the knife. It was low. I don't know if one of the cops got
scared or trigger-happy." Martin was taken to the hospital in critical
condition but is expected to recover. Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said
the shooting appeared justified. The family plans to hire a lawyer. Prior
History: Police had removed the teen from the home twice in 2004 without
incident. Medications for schizophrenia and attention deficit/hyperactivity
disorder were found in the home. Source: New York Daily News, January 27,
2005;Greenwich Time, January 27, 2005

Date: 1/2005

Location: Bronx, , NY

Summary: A police officer shot and wounded a knife-wielding Bronx
teen after the mentally disturbed youth lunged at officers on January 26, 2005.
Nicholas Martin, 17, was hit by two police bullets in his family's apartment.
Martin's aunt dialed 911 that night saying Martin had not taken his medication
and was tearing up the apartment. Four officers arrived to find Martin sitting
on the sofa. His aunt and uncle and their four children, ages 5, 9, 13 and 14,
also were in the apartment. Martin agreed to go to the hospital, but became
agitated when police would not let him get an extra shirt from his bedroom,
which held a caged pit bull. Martin tried to push past one officer and then
pulled an 8-inch blade out of the back of his pants when officers surrounded
him. "One of the officers yells, 'Knife! Knife!' then shoots - bang,
bang," said the teen's adoptive father, Nicholas Martin Sr. "He
wasn't pointing the knife. It was low. I don't know if one of the cops got
scared or trigger-happy." Martin was taken to the hospital in critical
condition but is expected to recover. Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said
the shooting appeared justified. The family plans to hire a lawyer. Prior
History: Police had removed the teen from the home twice in 2004 without
incident. Medications for schizophrenia and attention deficit/hyperactivity
disorder were found in the home. Source: New York Daily News, January 27,
2005;Greenwich Time, January 27, 2005

Date: 1/2005

Location: Bronx, , NY

Summary: A police officer shot and wounded a knife-wielding Bronx
teen after the mentally disturbed youth lunged at officers on January 26, 2005.
Nicholas Martin, 17, was hit by two police bullets in his family's apartment.
Martin's aunt dialed 911 that night saying Martin had not taken his medication
and was tearing up the apartment. Four officers arrived to find Martin sitting
on the sofa. His aunt and uncle and their four children, ages 5, 9, 13 and 14,
also were in the apartment. Martin agreed to go to the hospital, but became
agitated when police would not let him get an extra shirt from his bedroom,
which held a caged pit bull. Martin tried to push past one officer and then
pulled an 8-inch blade out of the back of his pants when officers surrounded
him. "One of the officers yells, 'Knife! Knife!' then shoots - bang,
bang," said the teen's adoptive father, Nicholas Martin Sr. "He
wasn't pointing the knife. It was low. I don't know if one of the cops got
scared or trigger-happy." Martin was taken to the hospital in critical
condition but is expected to recover. Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said
the shooting appeared justified. The family plans to hire a lawyer. Prior
History: Police had removed the teen from the home twice in 2004 without
incident. Medications for schizophrenia and attention deficit/hyperactivity
disorder were found in the home. Source: New York Daily News, January 27,
2005;Greenwich Time, January 27, 2005

Date: 11/2003

Location: Rocky Point, Suffolk, NY

Summary: On November 11, 2003, Dennis Cherbavaz, a 50-year-old man
with mental illness, led sheriff's deputies on a high-speed chase through his
hometown of Rocky Point, NY, then violently resisted arrest and suffered a
heart attack. The deputies were attempting to serve an order of protection filed
by his sister after she alleged that Cherbavaz had tried to run her off the
road in a car and break a chair over her head. Cherbavaz became incensed and
fled, until deputies were able to catch up to him and pull him forceably out of
the car. During the struggle to subdue him, Cherbavaz suffered the heart attack
and was taken to the hospital. Cherbavaz was charged with felony reckless
endangerment, as well as resisting arrest and menacing, both misdemeanors.
Cherbavaz had been diagnosed as schizophrenic with bipolar disorder and had
been admitted to psychiatric hospitals in New York and Massachusetts 23 times
in two decades, said his mother, Diva Cherbavaz. She said she realized her son
was a danger to himself two weeks before his arrest, had been on the phone with
the Suffolk County Department of Health's crisis unit nearly every day, and
even filed a police report against him for taking her 1993 Oldsmobile - just so
he could be taken safely into custody. According her, Cherbavaz had recently
lost his job and was upset over a custody battle between her and her daughter
over the daughter's two young sons. "At least he is safe now," she
said. "As long as he is in the hospital, he can't hurt himself anymore.
That's the good part." Subsequent History: Cherbavaz died in the hospital
three weeks after the incident. Source: Newsday (New York), November 13, 2003
Newsday (New York) April 11, 2004

Date: 11/2003

Location: Rocky Point, Suffolk, NY

Summary: On November 11, 2003, Dennis Cherbavaz, a 50-year-old man
with mental illness, led sheriff's deputies on a high-speed chase through his
hometown of Rocky Point, NY, then violently resisted arrest and suffered a
heart attack. The deputies were attempting to serve an order of protection
filed by his sister after she alleged that Cherbavaz had tried to run her off
the road in a car and break a chair over her head. Cherbavaz became incensed
and fled, until deputies were able to catch up to him and pull him forceably
out of the car. During the struggle to subdue him, Cherbavaz suffered the heart
attack and was taken to the hospital. Cherbavaz was charged with felony
reckless endangerment, as well as resisting arrest and menacing, both
misdemeanors. Cherbavaz had been diagnosed as schizophrenic with bipolar
disorder and had been admitted to psychiatric hospitals in New York and
Massachusetts 23 times in two decades, said his mother, Diva Cherbavaz. She
said she realized her son was a danger to himself two weeks before his arrest,
had been on the phone with the Suffolk County Department of Health's crisis
unit nearly every day, and even filed a police report against him for taking
her 1993 Oldsmobile - just so he could be taken safely into custody. According
her, Cherbavaz had recently lost his job and was upset over a custody battle
between her and her daughter over the daughter's two young sons. "At least
he is safe now," she said. "As long as he is in the hospital, he
can't hurt himself anymore. That's the good part." Subsequent History:
Cherbavaz died in the hospital three weeks after the incident. Source: Newsday
(New York), November 13, 2003 Newsday (New York) April 11, 2004

Date: 7/2005

Location: Queens Village, Queens, NY

Summary: Police identified Kevin Davy, 25, as a man with
psychiatric problems who critically wounded two officers when they responded to
a call that someone was attacking a religious statue outside a Queens Village,
NY church with a sword and a shotgun. Davy began firing at officers Dominick
Romano, 29, and David Harris, 40, and one of the officers returned fire,
wounding Davy. All three men survived. Relatives said Davy attended the Art
Institute of New York City, suffers from bipolar disorder, and had not been
taking his medication. Subsequent History: Davy pleaded not guilty to attempted
murder and other charges in Queens Criminal Court in September 2005. He faces
up to 25 years in prison if convicted. Prior History: Davy had a prior juvenile
record, according to Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly. Source: New York
Times, July 18, 2005; Daily News, July 18, 2005; Queens Chronicle, September
15, 2005

Date: 7/2005

Location: Queens Village, Queens, NY

Summary: Police identified Kevin Davy, 25, as a man with
psychiatric problems who critically wounded two officers when they responded to
a call that someone was attacking a religious statue outside a Queens Village,
NY church with a sword and a shotgun. Davy began firing at officers Dominick
Romano, 29, and David Harris, 40, and one of the officers returned fire,
wounding Davy. All three men survived. Relatives said Davy attended the Art
Institute of New York City, suffers from bipolar disorder, and had not been
taking his medication. Subsequent History: Davy pleaded not guilty to attempted
murder and other charges in Queens Criminal Court in September 2005. He faces
up to 25 years in prison if convicted. Prior History: Davy had a prior juvenile
record, according to Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly. Source: New York
Times, July 18, 2005; Daily News, July 18, 2005; Queens Chronicle, September
15, 2005

Date: 9/2005

Location: New York, , NY

Summary: On September 7, 2005, Bernard Derr stabbed a 10-month-old
baby in the stomach as the child was sitting in her stroller, out for a walk
with her nanny on the streets of upper Manhattan. Derr, 48, lived only blocks
away in an apartment run by the Federated Employment and Guidance Service, a
supportive housing program for the mentally ill. The child, Isabelle Avins, was
taken to the hospital in critical but stable condition. Derr was taken to
Bellevue Hospital Center for psychiatric tests. Police said Derr had never been
arrested but had a psychiatric history. Subsequent History: Derr was arraigned
on September 9 in the prison ward of Bellevue Hospital Center. His
court-appointed lawyer, Deborah Wright, said he was acting incoherently and was
unable to answer questions put to him. But after Judge Donna G. Recant of
Manhattan Criminal Court questioned him briefly during the arraignment, she
ruled that he was not irrational and could understand what was going on.
Source: The New York Times, September 9, 2005; Long Island Newsday, September
9, 2005; The New York Times, September 10, 2005

Date: 9/2005

Location: New York, , NY

Summary: Altagracia Rodriguez, a mentally ill woman who allegedly
kidnapped four-year-old Josue Polanco from his mother at a New York City
restaurant on September 8, 2005, had her own two children taken away by
officials and she wanted a child to replace them, relatives said. Rodriguez
suffers from schizophrenia and had stopped taking her medication, according to
relatives, who called police to report the kidnapping. The boy was eventually
returned to his mother unharmed. Rodriguez was charged with kidnapping.
Source: Washington Times, September 11, 2005; Stamford Advocate, September 10,
2005

Date: 7/2005

Location: Poughkeepsie, Dutchess, NY

Summary: Roger Woodson, 47, a homeless Poughkeepsie man, was sent
to a secure mental hospital after a judge ruled he was not legally responsible
for a knife attack on Alvin Diaz on July 23, 2005. Woodson could give no reason
for the attack. Diaz sustained wounds to his wrist, legs and chest, Chase
said.A court appointed psychiatrist, Dr. Claude Schleuderer, found that Woodson
suffers from schizophrenia. Source: Poughkeepsie Journal, December 24, 2005

Date: 2/2006

Location: Bronx, Bronx, NY

Summary: Michael Harris, 24, attacked his 18-month-old nephew
Priest Jefferson and the baby's parents after beating his own mother with a
hammer inside their apartment on February 13, 2006. Cops responding to numerous
911 calls from neighbors found the little boy bloodied and lying on the living
room floor as Harris held the boy's mother, Leasia Bolden, 20, in a choke hold
and stabbed her on a nearby bed, sources said. After ordering him to drop the
weapon, an officer fired one round at Harris, who stabbed his sister again
before lunging at the cop, police said. Harris was shot once more and
pronounced dead at the scene, sources said. Family members and sources said
Harris was bipolar and taken out of an institution recently by his mother,
49-year-old Charlene Harris, a deeply religious woman and tenant association
president. "He was supposed to be taking his pills. He just went
berserk," said Carolyn Harris, his aunt. Police sources also said Harris
was angry that his mother wouldn't cook him dinner last night. Harris had a
2005 arrest for drug charges and he had to be forcibly removed from the
family's home in 2004, a source said. Source: New York Daily News, February
14, 2006

Date: 2/2006

Location: Bronx, Bronx, NY

Summary: Michael Harris, 24, attacked his 18-month-old nephew
Priest Jefferson and the baby's parents after beating his own mother with a
hammer inside their apartment on February 13, 2006. Cops responding to numerous
911 calls from neighbors found the little boy bloodied and lying on the living
room floor as Harris held the boy's mother, Leasia Bolden, 20, in a choke hold
and stabbed her on a nearby bed, sources said. After ordering him to drop the
weapon, an officer fired one round at Harris, who stabbed his sister again before
lunging at the cop, police said. Harris was shot once more and pronounced dead
at the scene, sources said. Family members and sources said Harris was bipolar
and taken out of an institution recently by his mother, 49-year-old Charlene
Harris, a deeply religious woman and tenant association president. "He was
supposed to be taking his pills. He just went berserk," said Carolyn
Harris, his aunt. Police sources also said Harris was angry that his mother
wouldn't cook him dinner last night. Harris had a 2005 arrest for drug charges
and he had to be forcibly removed from the family's home in 2004, a source
said. Source: New York Daily News, February 14, 2006

Date: 2/2006

Location: Bronx, Bronx, NY

Summary: Michael Harris, 24, attacked his 18-month-old nephew
Priest Jefferson and the baby's parents after beating his own mother with a
hammer inside their apartment on February 13, 2006. Cops responding to numerous
911 calls from neighbors found the little boy bloodied and lying on the living
room floor as Harris held the boy's mother, Leasia Bolden, 20, in a choke hold
and stabbed her on a nearby bed, sources said. After ordering him to drop the
weapon, an officer fired one round at Harris, who stabbed his sister again
before lunging at the cop, police said. Harris was shot once more and
pronounced dead at the scene, sources said. Family members and sources said
Harris was bipolar and taken out of an institution recently by his mother,
49-year-old Charlene Harris, a deeply religious woman and tenant association
president. "He was supposed to be taking his pills. He just went
berserk," said Carolyn Harris, his aunt. Police sources also said Harris
was angry that his mother wouldn't cook him dinner last night. Harris had a
2005 arrest for drug charges and he had to be forcibly removed from the
family's home in 2004, a source said. Source: New York Daily News, February
14, 2006

Date: 2/2006

Location: Bronx, Bronx, NY

Summary: Michael Harris, 24, attacked his 18-month-old nephew
Priest Jefferson and the baby's parents after beating his own mother with a
hammer inside their apartment on February 13, 2006. Cops responding to numerous
911 calls from neighbors found the little boy bloodied and lying on the living
room floor as Harris held the boy's mother, Leasia Bolden, 20, in a choke hold
and stabbed her on a nearby bed, sources said. After ordering him to drop the
weapon, an officer fired one round at Harris, who stabbed his sister again
before lunging at the cop, police said. Harris was shot once more and pronounced
dead at the scene, sources said. Family members and sources said Harris was
bipolar and taken out of an institution recently by his mother, 49-year-old
Charlene Harris, a deeply religious woman and tenant association president.
"He was supposed to be taking his pills. He just went berserk," said
Carolyn Harris, his aunt. Police sources also said Harris was angry that his
mother wouldn't cook him dinner last night. Harris had a 2005 arrest for drug
charges and he had to be forcibly removed from the family's home in 2004, a
source said. Source: New York Daily News, February 14, 2006

Date: 2/2006

Location: Staten Island, Richmond, NY

Summary: Stephanie Lindboe, 65, was fatally shot after lunging at
a a police sergeant who was responding to a disturbance call at her Staten
Island apartment building on February 16, 2006. Ms. Lindboe, who had been
hospitalized repeatedly for a psychiatric condition and had been known
throughout the building for erratic behavior, had just stabbed a neighbor at
least eight times when the sergeant and four other police officers confronted
her, the authorities said. The woman she had stabbed, Linda Padula, 58, who
lived across the hallway, was taken to the same hospital, and remained in
serious condition yesterday, having suffered stab wounds to her head, neck,
shoulder and upper chest, the police said. Source: New York Times, February
17, 2006

Date: 2/2006

Location: Staten Island, Richmond, NY

Summary: Stephanie Lindboe, 65, was fatally shot after lunging at
a a police sergeant who was responding to a disturbance call at her Staten
Island apartment building on February 16, 2006. Ms. Lindboe, who had been
hospitalized repeatedly for a psychiatric condition and had been known
throughout the building for erratic behavior, had just stabbed a neighbor at
least eight times when the sergeant and four other police officers confronted
her, the authorities said. The woman she had stabbed, Linda Padula, 58, who
lived across the hallway, was taken to the same hospital, and remained in
serious condition yesterday, having suffered stab wounds to her head, neck,
shoulder and upper chest, the police said. Source: New York Times, February
17, 2006

Date: 10/2005

Location: New York, New York, NY

Summary: Peter Braunstein is accused of posing as a firefighter
and sexually abusing a woman on Halloween night in 2005. Braunstein’s lawyers
contend that he suffers from schizophrenia and “had a substantial incapacity to
understand the consequences of the actions charged." A defense
psychologist who interviewed and tested the defendant between January and May,
says Braunstein, 42, has suffered "psychotic breaks with reality,"
paranoid delusions and an inability to control his impulses. Braunstein, a
journalist who once wrote for Women's Wear Daily, has pleaded not guilty to
charges of arson, kidnapping, burglary, robbery, sexual abuse and assault
related to the attack on a former colleague in her home on Oct. 31, 2005.
Prosecutors say Braunstein set two small fires in the hallway outside the door
of the 34-year-old woman's apartment in Manhattan's Chelsea area. With smoke
filling the corridor, Braunstein pounded on her door, said he was from the fire
department and demanded to be let in, prosecutors say. Once in the woman's
apartment, prosecutors say, he knocked her out with chloroform, tied her up
with a parachute cord and sexually abused her for more than 13 hours.
Braunstein's mental condition is now stable because of medications at Bellevue
Hospital Center and, for the past three weeks, in jail, Gottlieb said. The
lawyer also said his client, who stabbed himself in the neck just before he was
arrested in Tennessee in December, is on suicide watch at a Rikers Island jail.
Subsequent History: During his April 2007 trial, Peter Braunstein’s lawyers
adopted the defense that Braunstein was a paranoid schizophrenia, which
crippled his decision making process and destroyed his ability to form intent
to commit the crime. Braunstein was charged with drugging a woman with a
chloroform rag and sexually assaulting her for hours. The defense case relied
on "neuro-law,'' an emerging field at the crossroads of science and law
that probes brain images for clues to behavioral proclivities and has
reportedly been used in more than 100 criminal defenses. Defense attorneys claimed
Braunstein's brain was so poisoned by undiagnosed paranoid schizophrenia that
he couldn't form the intent to commit the crime necessary for a conviction.
Subsequent History: On May 23, 2007, Peter Braunstein was convicted of
kidnapping and sexually abusing a woman he barely knew after posing as a
firefighter to gain entrance to her Chelsea apartment and tying her to her bed.
The jury in State Supreme Court in Manhattan rejected the defense argument that
Mr. Braunstein was delusional and so mentally ill that he lacked the intent to
commit a crime. He was convicted of 10 counts of kidnapping, burglary, robbery
and sexual abuse — every charge against him except arson. Subsequent
History: On June 18, 2007, New York Superior Court Judge Thomas Farber sentenced
Peter Braunstein to 18 years to life in prison for 10 counts stemming from a
Halloween 2005 attack. The charges include robbery, kidnapping and sexual
abuse. Braunstein was was found guilty in May of this year. Prior to the
sentencing, Braunstein wrote a letter to Farber, in which he expressed remorse
for his crimes and asked for the judge’s mercy. In the letter, he wrote that he
was insane during the time he was committing the crimes—a fact which
Braunstein believes the prosecution and jury overlooked. He also asked the
judge to assign him to a facility where he may be treated for his mental
illness. During his trial, defense lawyers claimed that Braunstein suffered
from paranoid schizophrenia. Expert medical testimony stated that Braunstein
was detached from reality during the crimes and could not have premeditated the
acts. Source: Knoxville News Sentinel, 5/29/06; New York Post, 10/18/06; ABC
News, 4/30/07; New York Times, 5/3/07; NEWS 1 TV, 5/11/07, 5/15/07, 5/17/07,
5/24/07; Newsday, 5/17/07; Long Island Press, 6/18/07

Date: 5/2006

Location: Yonkers, Westchester, NY

Summary: Robert Gjonlekaj, 35, was charged with second-degree
assault, a felony, and endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor. On
May 28, 2006, Gjonlekaj kicked a 6-year-old girl in the face at a supermarket
in Yonkers, NY. The youngster was treated at Lawrence Hospital in Bronxville
for bruising and swelling to the left side of her face. She was later released.
A witness in the store told police that she heard Gjonlekaj talking to himself
before the incident. Gjonlekaj's mother later told police that her son was
treated at the Bronx Psychiatric Center for schizophrenia for three years.
Source: New York Journal News, May 31, 2006

Date: 2/2002

Location: Queens, Queens, NY

Summary: Krisna Soogrim, 38, a construction worker from Guyana,
was facing up to 25 years to life for killing Juliet Velaidam, 34, in their
Hollis home on Feb. 7, 2002, before he took a plea deal under which he will
serve 20 years in prison for the murder and for assaulting a police officer
when he threw a meat cleaver. Soogrim blames his actions on Kali, a Hindu
goddess, who is usually painted with a fearsome, warlike expression and
sometimes is referred to as the goddess of dissolution and destruction.
Soogrim, who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, as well as delusional and
psychotic illnesses, has claimed Kali came to him in a dream and had sex with
him, defense lawyer David Bart said. Source: New York Daily News, April 6,
2006

Date: 1/2005

Location: Riverside, Steuben, NY

Summary: During the early morning hours of Jan. 13, 2005, James
Russell testified that he had been off his medications and sleepless for four
nights when he picked up a newspaper and saw the image of a demon on the sports
page. Believing that the demon had made its way into the body of his brother's
girlfriend, Carole Roth, Russell plunged several sharp objects into Roth's
throat 45 minutes later, killing her. In July 2006, a Suffolk County Court
judge accepted his plea of not guilty by reason of mental defect or disease. In
recounting that night's events, Russell stammered and rambled for several
minutes in court, and at one point was given a chair because he appeared
unstable on his feet. Prior History: Russell had been living with his brother,
William, 52, and Roth in their Riverhead apartment for about five years.
Russell said a few weeks before the slaying, he began reading the Bible and
stopped taking his medications for bipolar disorder because he felt the Holy
Spirit inside him. Russell said after being alarmed by the newspaper photo of
the New York Yankees pitcher, he grabbed a knife from the kitchen and went
after his brother, convinced that he had been possessed. William Russell fled
the apartment to call the police, leaving Roth alone with his brother. "In
my head, I thought the devil had jumped from my brother into her," Russell
said. When police found Roth, she had three knives, a pair of scissors and a
barbecue fork still lodged in her neck. Russell was naked when he was arrested
and during his police questioning. He was arraigned in the nude at a police
station house in Riverhead because he refused to wear clothes, law enforcement
sources said. After another hearing to determine his mental status, Russell
will be transferred to a state psychiatric hospital. Source: Newsday, August
1, 2006

Date: 6/2006

Location: Canarsie, Kings, NY

Summary: Dwayne Palmer, 32, charged with stabbing his 1-year-old
daughter to death must undergo a psychiatric examination before trial, a judge
ordered on August 14. Palmer was formally charged in State Supreme Court in
Brooklyn with second-degree murder and attempted murder in an attack on his
companion, Natasha Martin, and their daughter, Samara Palmer, in Ms. Martin's
apartment in Canarsie early on June 19, during the night after Father's Day.
Mr. Palmer, who was arrested later that morning at his mother's house, gave a
long statement to the police recounting feelings of alienation, routine
miscommunications, money problems and perceived slights. Mr. Palmer went to Ms.
Martin's apartment to visit Samara, found the door bolted and "came to the
precinct looking for a police escort but could not get one," he told the
police. He returned to the apartment alone and unlocked the door, using a key
Ms. Martin did not know he had, prosecutors said. Ms. Martin tried to push the
door closed; he was stronger. "He asked her if she loved him and she said
no," the police wrote. "He got a knife from the kitchen area from the
knife rack (wood handle). When she said 'No,' that she didn't,' he snapped. She
was on the bed with Samara and he stabbed them. She was telling him she loved
him while it was going on. He then left." Palmer’s lawyer, Michael A.
Millet, entered a plea of not guilty on his behalf and requested the psychiatric
tests. The lawyer described a series of hospital stays Mr. Palmer had undergone
for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The judge, Matthew J. D'Emic, set a
hearing for Sept. 7 on the results of the new psychiatric examination. He
ordered Mr. Palmer held in jail, and he issued protection orders for Ms. Martin
and her sons. Source: New York Times, August 15, 2006

Date: 6/2006

Location: Canarsie, Kings, NY

Summary: Dwayne Palmer, 32, charged with stabbing his 1-year-old
daughter to death must undergo a psychiatric examination before trial, a judge
ordered on August 14. Palmer was formally charged in State Supreme Court in
Brooklyn with second-degree murder and attempted murder in an attack on his
companion, Natasha Martin, and their daughter, Samara Palmer, in Ms. Martin's
apartment in Canarsie early on June 19, during the night after Father's Day.
Mr. Palmer, who was arrested later that morning at his mother's house, gave a
long statement to the police recounting feelings of alienation, routine
miscommunications, money problems and perceived slights. Mr. Palmer went to Ms.
Martin's apartment to visit Samara, found the door bolted and "came to the
precinct looking for a police escort but could not get one," he told the
police. He returned to the apartment alone and unlocked the door, using a key
Ms. Martin did not know he had, prosecutors said. Ms. Martin tried to push the
door closed; he was stronger. "He asked her if she loved him and she said
no," the police wrote. "He got a knife from the kitchen area from the
knife rack (wood handle). When she said 'No,' that she didn't,' he snapped. She
was on the bed with Samara and he stabbed them. She was telling him she loved
him while it was going on. He then left." Palmer’s lawyer, Michael A.
Millet, entered a plea of not guilty on his behalf and requested the
psychiatric tests. The lawyer described a series of hospital stays Mr. Palmer
had undergone for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The judge, Matthew J.
D'Emic, set a hearing for Sept. 7 on the results of the new psychiatric
examination. He ordered Mr. Palmer held in jail, and he issued protection
orders for Ms. Martin and her sons. Source: New York Times, August 15, 2006

Date: 8/2006

Location: Queens, Queens, NY

Summary: Matthew Colletta, 34 was charged with second-degree
murder, reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a weapon in connection
with a six-hour shooting spree that left one person dead, at least four
injured, and a trail of shattered glass and bullet-scarred vehicles across
Queens. The police said that Colletta has a history of mental illness. He is
accused of having driven his green 1992 Cadillac through Queens late on August
25 and early on August 26, randomly firing at strangers while under the
influence of cocaine and alcohol, the authorities said. The police were still
searching for a motive. An official with knowledge of the investigation said
Mr. Colletta may have believed he was being threatened by the Bloods, a gang
identified by its red clothing, and that five of the seven vehicles fired on
were red. The shootings began about 7:30 p.m. on August 26 in Maspeth. Andrzej
Leonik, 47, was walking his dog near his house when a stranger pulled up in a
car and shot him in his right knee. At 8:10 p.m. in Long Island City, a gray
livery cab was fired at, the authorities said. Its windshield shattered, but
the driver was not hurt. Next Udai Klemnarine, 22, was shot in the left leg
outside a Chinese restaurant in Ozone Park, the authorities said. The Queens
district attorney said the shooting took place at 9 p.m., though the police
said it was at 9:40 p.m. Later near Forest Park, a brother and sister, aged 22
and 25, were looking for a parking space when bullets shattered the windshield
of their yellow car, the authorities said. They were not hurt, and their names
were not released. The shooting continued, and the gunman seemed to begin
targeting red vehicles. Just before 11 p.m., shots shattered the windows of a
red minivan. Flying glass wounded Ramsampy Veerepen, 23, in the right wrist,
and Adesh Prolwah, 29, in the left arm, the authorities said. Within a few
minutes, Todd Upton, 51, was shot on the Cross Island Expressway. Upton
subsequently died at New York Hospital Medical Center of Queens. Only minutes
later, two shots were fired at the front passenger door of another red minivan
on the Whitestone Expressway. The 27-year-old driver was not hurt. Next, the
police said, gunfire shattered the windows of a red Toyota RAV4 in the
Queensboro Hill area. The Queens district attorney’s office said the
44-year-old driver was not hurt, but the police said he was injured by flying
glass. Finally, about 1:30 a.m., the last victim, an off-duty police
lieutenant, Arnaldo Alvarado of the 76th Precinct in Brooklyn, was fired upon
in Forest Hills, the police said. He, too, was driving a red minivan. The
district attorney’s office said he was hit, but not hurt, by flying glass,
though the police said he was, in fact, injured. By then, police cars and
helicopters were searching for the green Cadillac, and a patrol officer spotted
it around 1:40 a.m. near Forest Park, where Colletta was arrested. He pulled
his car over on a one-way street as police officers poured from their cars and
blocked him in, witnesses said. Law enforcement officials said Colletta was taken
to a Queens hospital after his arrest. Prior History: Colletta was arrested a
week prior to the incident on charges of menacing and assault, after his
girlfriend said he threatened her with a hammer, tried to strangle her and
dragged her across the floor. Since then Colletta had been living in his car,
the authorities said. A friend said Colletta had been taking lithium to treat
paranoid schizophrenia. Colletta shares a two-story house with his father in
Woodhaven. He and his girlfriend, Philomenia Zevlakis, 23, who lived two doors
down, often had raucous fights, neighbors said. John Perry, who said he was Mr.
Colletta’s best friend, said Ms. Zevlakis took out a restraining order against
Colletta after the assault. Colletta, who had been released from jail without
bail, was living in his car because his house was too close to hers. Colletta
also was arrested in 2000 on drug possession charges, the district attorney’s
office said, but the outcome of the case was not available. Neighbors painted
contrasting portraits of Mr. Colletta, who they said grew up in the
neighborhood. Margaret-Mary Hasselberg, 79, said he was a tough guy who walked
with a swagger, yet still shoveled snow from her sidewalk and drove her to
church during bad weather. Friends of Mr. Colletta who would not give their
names said he was quiet and hard working but distraught over his deteriorating
relationship with Ms. Zevlakis. Subsequent History: Todd Greenberg, the lawyer
for Matthew Colletta, hinted at an insanity defense as his client was taken to
a mental hospital. "His mental capacity is going to play a part in this
issue on whether he had the intent to commit these crimes," said
Greenberg. "From what I know of Matthew," said the lawyer, "this
is out of character for him." But a police source yesterday raised
questions about Colletta's penchant for violence, saying the 34-year-old
diagnosed schizophrenic should have never been released without bail after
allegedly assaulting his girlfriend on Aug. 20. "It wasn't like it was his
first time in trouble," the source said of Colletta, who has a past drug
conviction. Prosecutors said yesterday they requested $1,000 bail in the
assault case. They noted the Queens man had no prior convictions for violent
crimes. Colletta's arraignment was postponed as he was sent to a psychiatric
facility, officials said. Greenberg said Colletta had been in and out of mental
hospitals for years, including a stint at Queens' Creedmoor Psychiatric Center.
"He's going to be held responsible either being confined to a psychiatric
institution or being confined to a prison cell," said Queens District
Attorney Richard Brown. The spree's first victim, Andrzej Leonik, 46, told the
Daily News yesterday he was wearing a red shirt when he was shot while walking
his dog in Maspeth on Friday night. Colletta told cops he fired at Leonik
because he thought the "devil dog" was about to attack a baby, a
police source said. Leonik said a neighbor was petting Sonya, his harmless
Boston terrier. "This guy must have been on drugs or sick or
something," Leonik said. Subsequent History: Matthew Colletta, 34, the
suspect in a weekend shooting spree in Queens that killed one man and injured
five was pulled out of the jailhouse booking system for psychiatric evaluation
at Bellevue Hospital Center, and the suspect’s lawyer said that he expected to
base the man’s defense on his mental condition. Colletta was under observation
at the hospital, where he was taken after becoming disruptive while in custody
on Saturday night, said Richard A. Brown, the Queens district attorney.
Prosecutors added weapons and drug charges to the counts against Mr. Colletta
after the police found a second loaded gun in his 1992 Cadillac and cocaine in
his pants pocket, Mr. Brown said. Mr. Colletta had already been charged with
second-degree murder, reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a
weapon. Mr. Colletta’s lawyer, Todd D. Greenberg, said his client had been
hospitalized in the past and had been given a diagnosis of paranoid
schizophrenia. Mr. Greenberg said that “He has been told what happened. He
feels terrible about it. He says he would never hurt anybody. But I don’t think
he has an awareness of his actions without being told.” He said he left his
meeting with his client “more convinced” that Mr. Colletta was suffering from a
mental illness at the time of the shooting spree. “It confirms in my mind that
he was delusional and extremely, extremely paranoid. That fits in with his
diagnosis and contributed to his actions,” Mr. Greenberg said. He said that he was
not sure that Mr. Colletta would be fit for court proceedings and that he
expected to base his legal defense on the argument that Mr. Colletta was not
responsible for his actions by reason of mental disease or defect. Mr. Colletta
is to be arraigned on murder, assault and related charges at Bellevue or in
Queens Criminal Court but must undergo further testing to determine whether he
is competent to stand trial and to participate in his defense, Mr. Brown said.
The police have said that Mr. Colletta spent the week prior to the shooting
spree snorting cocaine and sleeping in his Cadillac. By the morning of August
25, he appeared testy and erratic to a couple he encountered outside his home.
The couple said they were parked outside his home about 6 a.m. after a night
out when Mr. Colletta, who was watering his hedges, sprayed their cream-colored
car. “I don’t like people parking in front of my house,” he told the couple,
Mr. Madrow said, and continued: “Do you think you have more money than me? Do
you think you’re richer than me?” About 13 hours later, the shooting spree
began. According to the authorities, Mr. Colletta was under the influence of
cocaine and alcohol during the shooting spree, which would have aggravated any
psychotic episode. It was unclear if he had been taking medication lately.
Subsequent History: Matthew Colletta, charged with a drive-by shooting spree in
Queens that left one man dead and at least four others injured, told the police
that he got his gun from Lucifer and that he was reacting to “red cars closing
in,” according to prosecutors at a bedside arraignment on August 29, 2006 at
Bellevue Hospital Center in Manhattan, where he was being held without bail.
Most of the targets were chosen because they were in red vehicles, the police said.
Colletta said he believed he was being threatened by the Bloods gang, which is
identified with the color red. Prosecutors said Colletta described to police
officers “red cars closing in” during the spree, said Marcus Franklin, a
reporter for The Associated Press who was selected to represent fellow
reporters at the arraignment. When arrested, Mr. Colletta gave police
investigators several versions of the events that seemed contradictory and
fantastical at times, prosecutors said. In one version, Mr. Colletta denied
involvement in the spree, telling police that he left his car in the valet
parking lot of a strip club and that “someone must have put the gun there;
that’s not mine.” But he also told police investigators he had been temporarily
living in his car and that he found the gun “in a container,” prosecutors said.
The police have said that Mr. Colletta spent last week snorting cocaine and
sleeping in his car, a Cadillac. Prosecutors said that Mr. Colletta possessed
some cocaine and five bags of angel dust, and that he said he had “borrowed the
gun from Lucifer.” State Supreme Court Judge Justice Fernando Camacho ordered
Mr. Colletta held without bail and be given a psychiatric exam to determine if
he is fit to stand trial. Todd D. Greenberg, a lawyer for Mr. Colletta, said
after the arraignment that his client had a long history of mental illness and
had been in and out of mental hospitals since he was 18. Mr. Colletta was
diagnosed as suffering from paranoid schizophrenia and manic depression, Greenberg
said. Greenberg said that he entered a plea of not guilty for Mr. Colletta, and
that the psychiatric exam would show that Mr. Colletta was incompetent to stand
trial because he did “not understand the nature of the proceedings” and that he
was “not responsible by reasons of mental disease and defect.” Mr. Greenberg
said his client’s mental illness pushed him into taking drugs, which in turn
“exacerbated his paranoia.” “When I spoke to him, I had to tell him what
happened,” Mr. Greenberg said. “When I told him a life was lost, he was
devastated.” Subsequent History: Matthew Colletta was indicted by a grand jury
on charges related to the Aug. 25 Queens shooting spree District Attorney
Richard Brown said on August 31, 2006. Brown, who was still presenting his case
to the grand jury, said once the indictment is filed in the next few weeks the
charges will be made public. Colletta was undergoing psychiatric examinations
ordered by a judge to determine his fitness to stand trial. Subsequent History:
On October 5, 2006, Matthew Colletta, 34, the suspect authorities believe was
behind a deadly six hour bullet barrage seven weeks ago was arraigned during a
brief court appearance. Standing before Judge Robert Hanophy, Colletta listened
to a grand jury’s 57 count indictment brought against him after being
transported to Kew Gardens Supreme Court from Manhattan’s Bellevue Hospital
Center. The indictment listed charges of, among others, murder in the second
degree, attempted murder, assault, criminal possession of a weapon and criminal
possession of a controlled substance. Defense attorney Todd Greenberg entered a
not guilty plea on behalf of his client, who faces 25 years to life in prison
if convicted. In court last week, prosecutors added a 10th incident to the
charges. Jeffrey Cuff, 39, of Westport, Conn., was driving on the Van Wyck
Expressway when Colletta fired upon his black Audi. That incident undermines
original reports that Colletta fired only at red vehicles because he believed
he was being pursued by the Bloods street gang. Cuff was not injured. After his
client’s arrest, Greenberg maintained that Colletta suffered from serious
mental disease and defect. Colletta had been arrested a week earlier on assault
charges stemming from a domestic dispute with his girlfriend, and Greenberg
reported that he was a diagnosed schizophrenic. While reluctant to detail the
specifics of the case he plans to make to jurors, after the Thursday
proceedings Greenberg reiterated that his client’s mental capacity will play
into his argument. Source: New York Times, August 27, 28 & 30, 2006; New
York Daily News, August 27 & 28, 2006; Newsday, August 27, 28 & 30,
2006; Gothamist, August 27, 2006; Houston Chronicle (AP), August 26, 2006;
Boston Herald, 8/29/06; Associated Press, 9/1/06

Date: 8/2006

Location: Queens, Queens, NY

Summary: Matthew Colletta, 34 was charged with second-degree
murder, reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a weapon in connection
with a six-hour shooting spree that left one person dead, at least four injured,
and a trail of shattered glass and bullet-scarred vehicles across Queens. The
police said that Colletta has a history of mental illness. He is accused of
having driven his green 1992 Cadillac through Queens late on August 25 and
early on August 26, randomly firing at strangers while under the influence of
cocaine and alcohol, the authorities said. The police were still searching for
a motive. An official with knowledge of the investigation said Mr. Colletta may
have believed he was being threatened by the Bloods, a gang identified by its
red clothing, and that five of the seven vehicles fired on were red. The
shootings began about 7:30 p.m. on August 26 in Maspeth. Andrzej Leonik, 47,
was walking his dog near his house when a stranger pulled up in a car and shot
him in his right knee. At 8:10 p.m. in Long Island City, a gray livery cab was
fired at, the authorities said. Its windshield shattered, but the driver was
not hurt. Next Udai Klemnarine, 22, was shot in the left leg outside a Chinese
restaurant in Ozone Park, the authorities said. The Queens district attorney
said the shooting took place at 9 p.m., though the police said it was at 9:40
p.m. Later near Forest Park, a brother and sister, aged 22 and 25, were looking
for a parking space when bullets shattered the windshield of their yellow car,
the authorities said. They were not hurt, and their names were not released.
The shooting continued, and the gunman seemed to begin targeting red vehicles.
Just before 11 p.m., shots shattered the windows of a red minivan. Flying glass
wounded Ramsampy Veerepen, 23, in the right wrist, and Adesh Prolwah, 29, in
the left arm, the authorities said. Within a few minutes, Todd Upton, 51, was
shot on the Cross Island Expressway. Upton subsequently died at New York
Hospital Medical Center of Queens. Only minutes later, two shots were fired at
the front passenger door of another red minivan on the Whitestone Expressway.
The 27-year-old driver was not hurt. Next, the police said, gunfire shattered
the windows of a red Toyota RAV4 in the Queensboro Hill area. The Queens
district attorney’s office said the 44-year-old driver was not hurt, but the
police said he was injured by flying glass. Finally, about 1:30 a.m., the last
victim, an off-duty police lieutenant, Arnaldo Alvarado of the 76th Precinct in
Brooklyn, was fired upon in Forest Hills, the police said. He, too, was driving
a red minivan. The district attorney’s office said he was hit, but not hurt, by
flying glass, though the police said he was, in fact, injured. By then, police
cars and helicopters were searching for the green Cadillac, and a patrol
officer spotted it around 1:40 a.m. near Forest Park, where Colletta was
arrested. He pulled his car over on a one-way street as police officers poured
from their cars and blocked him in, witnesses said. Law enforcement officials
said Colletta was taken to a Queens hospital after his arrest. Prior History:
Colletta was arrested a week prior to the incident on charges of menacing and
assault, after his girlfriend said he threatened her with a hammer, tried to
strangle her and dragged her across the floor. Since then Colletta had been
living in his car, the authorities said. A friend said Colletta had been taking
lithium to treat paranoid schizophrenia. Colletta shares a two-story house with
his father in Woodhaven. He and his girlfriend, Philomenia Zevlakis, 23, who
lived two doors down, often had raucous fights, neighbors said. John Perry, who
said he was Mr. Colletta’s best friend, said Ms. Zevlakis took out a restraining
order against Colletta after the assault. Colletta, who had been released from
jail without bail, was living in his car because his house was too close to
hers. Colletta also was arrested in 2000 on drug possession charges, the
district attorney’s office said, but the outcome of the case was not available.
Neighbors painted contrasting portraits of Mr. Colletta, who they said grew up
in the neighborhood. Margaret-Mary Hasselberg, 79, said he was a tough guy who
walked with a swagger, yet still shoveled snow from her sidewalk and drove her
to church during bad weather. Friends of Mr. Colletta who would not give their
names said he was quiet and hard working but distraught over his deteriorating
relationship with Ms. Zevlakis. Subsequent History: Todd Greenberg, the lawyer
for Matthew Colletta, hinted at an insanity defense as his client was taken to
a mental hospital. "His mental capacity is going to play a part in this
issue on whether he had the intent to commit these crimes," said
Greenberg. "From what I know of Matthew," said the lawyer, "this
is out of character for him." But a police source yesterday raised
questions about Colletta's penchant for violence, saying the 34-year-old
diagnosed schizophrenic should have never been released without bail after allegedly
assaulting his girlfriend on Aug. 20. "It wasn't like it was his first
time in trouble," the source said of Colletta, who has a past drug
conviction. Prosecutors said yesterday they requested $1,000 bail in the
assault case. They noted the Queens man had no prior convictions for violent
crimes. Colletta's arraignment was postponed as he was sent to a psychiatric
facility, officials said. Greenberg said Colletta had been in and out of mental
hospitals for years, including a stint at Queens' Creedmoor Psychiatric Center.
"He's going to be held responsible either being confined to a psychiatric
institution or being confined to a prison cell," said Queens District
Attorney Richard Brown. The spree's first victim, Andrzej Leonik, 46, told the
Daily News yesterday he was wearing a red shirt when he was shot while walking
his dog in Maspeth on Friday night. Colletta told cops he fired at Leonik
because he thought the "devil dog" was about to attack a baby, a
police source said. Leonik said a neighbor was petting Sonya, his harmless
Boston terrier. "This guy must have been on drugs or sick or
something," Leonik said. Subsequent History: Matthew Colletta, 34, the
suspect in a weekend shooting spree in Queens that killed one man and injured
five was pulled out of the jailhouse booking system for psychiatric evaluation
at Bellevue Hospital Center, and the suspect’s lawyer said that he expected to
base the man’s defense on his mental condition. Colletta was under observation
at the hospital, where he was taken after becoming disruptive while in custody
on Saturday night, said Richard A. Brown, the Queens district attorney.
Prosecutors added weapons and drug charges to the counts against Mr. Colletta
after the police found a second loaded gun in his 1992 Cadillac and cocaine in
his pants pocket, Mr. Brown said. Mr. Colletta had already been charged with
second-degree murder, reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a
weapon. Mr. Colletta’s lawyer, Todd D. Greenberg, said his client had been
hospitalized in the past and had been given a diagnosis of paranoid
schizophrenia. Mr. Greenberg said that “He has been told what happened. He
feels terrible about it. He says he would never hurt anybody. But I don’t think
he has an awareness of his actions without being told.” He said he left his
meeting with his client “more convinced” that Mr. Colletta was suffering from a
mental illness at the time of the shooting spree. “It confirms in my mind that
he was delusional and extremely, extremely paranoid. That fits in with his
diagnosis and contributed to his actions,” Mr. Greenberg said. He said that he
was not sure that Mr. Colletta would be fit for court proceedings and that he
expected to base his legal defense on the argument that Mr. Colletta was not
responsible for his actions by reason of mental disease or defect. Mr. Colletta
is to be arraigned on murder, assault and related charges at Bellevue or in
Queens Criminal Court but must undergo further testing to determine whether he
is competent to stand trial and to participate in his defense, Mr. Brown said.
The police have said that Mr. Colletta spent the week prior to the shooting
spree snorting cocaine and sleeping in his Cadillac. By the morning of August
25, he appeared testy and erratic to a couple he encountered outside his home.
The couple said they were parked outside his home about 6 a.m. after a night
out when Mr. Colletta, who was watering his hedges, sprayed their cream-colored
car. “I don’t like people parking in front of my house,” he told the couple,
Mr. Madrow said, and continued: “Do you think you have more money than me? Do
you think you’re richer than me?” About 13 hours later, the shooting spree
began. According to the authorities, Mr. Colletta was under the influence of
cocaine and alcohol during the shooting spree, which would have aggravated any
psychotic episode. It was unclear if he had been taking medication lately.
Subsequent History: Matthew Colletta, charged with a drive-by shooting spree in
Queens that left one man dead and at least four others injured, told the police
that he got his gun from Lucifer and that he was reacting to “red cars closing
in,” according to prosecutors at a bedside arraignment on August 29, 2006 at
Bellevue Hospital Center in Manhattan, where he was being held without bail.
Most of the targets were chosen because they were in red vehicles, the police
said. Colletta said he believed he was being threatened by the Bloods gang,
which is identified with the color red. Prosecutors said Colletta described to
police officers “red cars closing in” during the spree, said Marcus Franklin, a
reporter for The Associated Press who was selected to represent fellow
reporters at the arraignment. When arrested, Mr. Colletta gave police
investigators several versions of the events that seemed contradictory and
fantastical at times, prosecutors said. In one version, Mr. Colletta denied
involvement in the spree, telling police that he left his car in the valet
parking lot of a strip club and that “someone must have put the gun there;
that’s not mine.” But he also told police investigators he had been temporarily
living in his car and that he found the gun “in a container,” prosecutors said.
The police have said that Mr. Colletta spent last week snorting cocaine and
sleeping in his car, a Cadillac. Prosecutors said that Mr. Colletta possessed
some cocaine and five bags of angel dust, and that he said he had “borrowed the
gun from Lucifer.” State Supreme Court Judge Justice Fernando Camacho ordered
Mr. Colletta held without bail and be given a psychiatric exam to determine if
he is fit to stand trial. Todd D. Greenberg, a lawyer for Mr. Colletta, said
after the arraignment that his client had a long history of mental illness and
had been in and out of mental hospitals since he was 18. Mr. Colletta was
diagnosed as suffering from paranoid schizophrenia and manic depression,
Greenberg said. Greenberg said that he entered a plea of not guilty for Mr.
Colletta, and that the psychiatric exam would show that Mr. Colletta was
incompetent to stand trial because he did “not understand the nature of the
proceedings” and that he was “not responsible by reasons of mental disease and
defect.” Mr. Greenberg said his client’s mental illness pushed him into taking
drugs, which in turn “exacerbated his paranoia.” “When I spoke to him, I had to
tell him what happened,” Mr. Greenberg said. “When I told him a life was lost,
he was devastated.” Subsequent History: Matthew Colletta was indicted by a
grand jury on charges related to the Aug. 25 Queens shooting spree District
Attorney Richard Brown said on August 31, 2006. Brown, who was still presenting
his case to the grand jury, said once the indictment is filed in the next few
weeks the charges will be made public. Colletta was undergoing psychiatric
examinations ordered by a judge to determine his fitness to stand trial.
Subsequent History: On October 5, 2006, Matthew Colletta, 34, the suspect
authorities believe was behind a deadly six hour bullet barrage seven weeks ago
was arraigned during a brief court appearance. Standing before Judge Robert
Hanophy, Colletta listened to a grand jury’s 57 count indictment brought
against him after being transported to Kew Gardens Supreme Court from
Manhattan’s Bellevue Hospital Center. The indictment listed charges of, among
others, murder in the second degree, attempted murder, assault, criminal
possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a controlled substance.
Defense attorney Todd Greenberg entered a not guilty plea on behalf of his
client, who faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted. In court last week,
prosecutors added a 10th incident to the charges. Jeffrey Cuff, 39, of
Westport, Conn., was driving on the Van Wyck Expressway when Colletta fired
upon his black Audi. That incident undermines original reports that Colletta
fired only at red vehicles because he believed he was being pursued by the
Bloods street gang. Cuff was not injured. After his client’s arrest, Greenberg
maintained that Colletta suffered from serious mental disease and defect.
Colletta had been arrested a week earlier on assault charges stemming from a
domestic dispute with his girlfriend, and Greenberg reported that he was a
diagnosed schizophrenic. While reluctant to detail the specifics of the case he
plans to make to jurors, after the Thursday proceedings Greenberg reiterated
that his client’s mental capacity will play into his argument. Source: New
York Times, August 27, 28 & 30, 2006; New York Daily News, August 27 &
28, 2006; Newsday, August 27, 28 & 30, 2006; Gothamist, August 27, 2006;
Houston Chronicle (AP), August 26, 2006; Boston Herald, 8/29/06; Associated
Press, 9/1/06

Date: 8/2006

Location: Queens, Queens, NY

Summary: Matthew Colletta, 34 was charged with second-degree
murder, reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a weapon in connection
with a six-hour shooting spree that left one person dead, at least four
injured, and a trail of shattered glass and bullet-scarred vehicles across
Queens. The police said that Colletta has a history of mental illness. He is
accused of having driven his green 1992 Cadillac through Queens late on August
25 and early on August 26, randomly firing at strangers while under the
influence of cocaine and alcohol, the authorities said. The police were still
searching for a motive. An official with knowledge of the investigation said
Mr. Colletta may have believed he was being threatened by the Bloods, a gang
identified by its red clothing, and that five of the seven vehicles fired on
were red. The shootings began about 7:30 p.m. on August 26 in Maspeth. Andrzej
Leonik, 47, was walking his dog near his house when a stranger pulled up in a
car and shot him in his right knee. At 8:10 p.m. in Long Island City, a gray
livery cab was fired at, the authorities said. Its windshield shattered, but
the driver was not hurt. Next Udai Klemnarine, 22, was shot in the left leg
outside a Chinese restaurant in Ozone Park, the authorities said. The Queens
district attorney said the shooting took place at 9 p.m., though the police
said it was at 9:40 p.m. Later near Forest Park, a brother and sister, aged 22
and 25, were looking for a parking space when bullets shattered the windshield
of their yellow car, the authorities said. They were not hurt, and their names
were not released. The shooting continued, and the gunman seemed to begin
targeting red vehicles. Just before 11 p.m., shots shattered the windows of a
red minivan. Flying glass wounded Ramsampy Veerepen, 23, in the right wrist,
and Adesh Prolwah, 29, in the left arm, the authorities said. Within a few
minutes, Todd Upton, 51, was shot on the Cross Island Expressway. Upton
subsequently died at New York Hospital Medical Center of Queens. Only minutes
later, two shots were fired at the front passenger door of another red minivan
on the Whitestone Expressway. The 27-year-old driver was not hurt. Next, the
police said, gunfire shattered the windows of a red Toyota RAV4 in the
Queensboro Hill area. The Queens district attorney’s office said the
44-year-old driver was not hurt, but the police said he was injured by flying
glass. Finally, about 1:30 a.m., the last victim, an off-duty police
lieutenant, Arnaldo Alvarado of the 76th Precinct in Brooklyn, was fired upon
in Forest Hills, the police said. He, too, was driving a red minivan. The
district attorney’s office said he was hit, but not hurt, by flying glass,
though the police said he was, in fact, injured. By then, police cars and
helicopters were searching for the green Cadillac, and a patrol officer spotted
it around 1:40 a.m. near Forest Park, where Colletta was arrested. He pulled
his car over on a one-way street as police officers poured from their cars and
blocked him in, witnesses said. Law enforcement officials said Colletta was
taken to a Queens hospital after his arrest. Prior History: Colletta was
arrested a week prior to the incident on charges of menacing and assault, after
his girlfriend said he threatened her with a hammer, tried to strangle her and
dragged her across the floor. Since then Colletta had been living in his car,
the authorities said. A friend said Colletta had been taking lithium to treat
paranoid schizophrenia. Colletta shares a two-story house with his father in
Woodhaven. He and his girlfriend, Philomenia Zevlakis, 23, who lived two doors
down, often had raucous fights, neighbors said. John Perry, who said he was Mr.
Colletta’s best friend, said Ms. Zevlakis took out a restraining order against
Colletta after the assault. Colletta, who had been released from jail without
bail, was living in his car because his house was too close to hers. Colletta
also was arrested in 2000 on drug possession charges, the district attorney’s
office said, but the outcome of the case was not available. Neighbors painted
contrasting portraits of Mr. Colletta, who they said grew up in the
neighborhood. Margaret-Mary Hasselberg, 79, said he was a tough guy who walked
with a swagger, yet still shoveled snow from her sidewalk and drove her to
church during bad weather. Friends of Mr. Colletta who would not give their
names said he was quiet and hard working but distraught over his deteriorating
relationship with Ms. Zevlakis. Subsequent History: Todd Greenberg, the lawyer
for Matthew Colletta, hinted at an insanity defense as his client was taken to
a mental hospital. "His mental capacity is going to play a part in this
issue on whether he had the intent to commit these crimes," said
Greenberg. "From what I know of Matthew," said the lawyer, "this
is out of character for him." But a police source yesterday raised
questions about Colletta's penchant for violence, saying the 34-year-old
diagnosed schizophrenic should have never been released without bail after
allegedly assaulting his girlfriend on Aug. 20. "It wasn't like it was his
first time in trouble," the source said of Colletta, who has a past drug
conviction. Prosecutors said yesterday they requested $1,000 bail in the
assault case. They noted the Queens man had no prior convictions for violent
crimes. Colletta's arraignment was postponed as he was sent to a psychiatric
facility, officials said. Greenberg said Colletta had been in and out of mental
hospitals for years, including a stint at Queens' Creedmoor Psychiatric Center.
"He's going to be held responsible either being confined to a psychiatric
institution or being confined to a prison cell," said Queens District Attorney
Richard Brown. The spree's first victim, Andrzej Leonik, 46, told the Daily
News yesterday he was wearing a red shirt when he was shot while walking his
dog in Maspeth on Friday night. Colletta told cops he fired at Leonik because
he thought the "devil dog" was about to attack a baby, a police
source said. Leonik said a neighbor was petting Sonya, his harmless Boston
terrier. "This guy must have been on drugs or sick or something,"
Leonik said. Subsequent History: Matthew Colletta, 34, the suspect in a weekend
shooting spree in Queens that killed one man and injured five was pulled out of
the jailhouse booking system for psychiatric evaluation at Bellevue Hospital
Center, and the suspect’s lawyer said that he expected to base the man’s
defense on his mental condition. Colletta was under observation at the
hospital, where he was taken after becoming disruptive while in custody on
Saturday night, said Richard A. Brown, the Queens district attorney.
Prosecutors added weapons and drug charges to the counts against Mr. Colletta
after the police found a second loaded gun in his 1992 Cadillac and cocaine in
his pants pocket, Mr. Brown said. Mr. Colletta had already been charged with
second-degree murder, reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a weapon.
Mr. Colletta’s lawyer, Todd D. Greenberg, said his client had been hospitalized
in the past and had been given a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia. Mr.
Greenberg said that “He has been told what happened. He feels terrible about
it. He says he would never hurt anybody. But I don’t think he has an awareness
of his actions without being told.” He said he left his meeting with his client
“more convinced” that Mr. Colletta was suffering from a mental illness at the
time of the shooting spree. “It confirms in my mind that he was delusional and
extremely, extremely paranoid. That fits in with his diagnosis and contributed
to his actions,” Mr. Greenberg said. He said that he was not sure that Mr.
Colletta would be fit for court proceedings and that he expected to base his
legal defense on the argument that Mr. Colletta was not responsible for his
actions by reason of mental disease or defect. Mr. Colletta is to be arraigned
on murder, assault and related charges at Bellevue or in Queens Criminal Court
but must undergo further testing to determine whether he is competent to stand
trial and to participate in his defense, Mr. Brown said. The police have said
that Mr. Colletta spent the week prior to the shooting spree snorting cocaine
and sleeping in his Cadillac. By the morning of August 25, he appeared testy
and erratic to a couple he encountered outside his home. The couple said they
were parked outside his home about 6 a.m. after a night out when Mr. Colletta,
who was watering his hedges, sprayed their cream-colored car. “I don’t like
people parking in front of my house,” he told the couple, Mr. Madrow said, and
continued: “Do you think you have more money than me? Do you think you’re
richer than me?” About 13 hours later, the shooting spree began. According to the
authorities, Mr. Colletta was under the influence of cocaine and alcohol during
the shooting spree, which would have aggravated any psychotic episode. It was
unclear if he had been taking medication lately. Subsequent History: Matthew
Colletta, charged with a drive-by shooting spree in Queens that left one man
dead and at least four others injured, told the police that he got his gun from
Lucifer and that he was reacting to “red cars closing in,” according to
prosecutors at a bedside arraignment on August 29, 2006 at Bellevue Hospital
Center in Manhattan, where he was being held without bail. Most of the targets
were chosen because they were in red vehicles, the police said. Colletta said
he believed he was being threatened by the Bloods gang, which is identified
with the color red. Prosecutors said Colletta described to police officers “red
cars closing in” during the spree, said Marcus Franklin, a reporter for The
Associated Press who was selected to represent fellow reporters at the
arraignment. When arrested, Mr. Colletta gave police investigators several
versions of the events that seemed contradictory and fantastical at times,
prosecutors said. In one version, Mr. Colletta denied involvement in the spree,
telling police that he left his car in the valet parking lot of a strip club
and that “someone must have put the gun there; that’s not mine.” But he also
told police investigators he had been temporarily living in his car and that he
found the gun “in a container,” prosecutors said. The police have said that Mr.
Colletta spent last week snorting cocaine and sleeping in his car, a Cadillac.
Prosecutors said that Mr. Colletta possessed some cocaine and five bags of
angel dust, and that he said he had “borrowed the gun from Lucifer.” State
Supreme Court Judge Justice Fernando Camacho ordered Mr. Colletta held without
bail and be given a psychiatric exam to determine if he is fit to stand trial.
Todd D. Greenberg, a lawyer for Mr. Colletta, said after the arraignment that
his client had a long history of mental illness and had been in and out of
mental hospitals since he was 18. Mr. Colletta was diagnosed as suffering from
paranoid schizophrenia and manic depression, Greenberg said. Greenberg said
that he entered a plea of not guilty for Mr. Colletta, and that the psychiatric
exam would show that Mr. Colletta was incompetent to stand trial because he did
“not understand the nature of the proceedings” and that he was “not responsible
by reasons of mental disease and defect.” Mr. Greenberg said his client’s mental
illness pushed him into taking drugs, which in turn “exacerbated his paranoia.”
“When I spoke to him, I had to tell him what happened,” Mr. Greenberg said.
“When I told him a life was lost, he was devastated.” Subsequent History:
Matthew Colletta was indicted by a grand jury on charges related to the Aug. 25
Queens shooting spree District Attorney Richard Brown said on August 31, 2006.
Brown, who was still presenting his case to the grand jury, said once the
indictment is filed in the next few weeks the charges will be made public.
Colletta was undergoing psychiatric examinations ordered by a judge to
determine his fitness to stand trial. Subsequent History: On October 5, 2006,
Matthew Colletta, 34, the suspect authorities believe was behind a deadly six hour
bullet barrage seven weeks ago was arraigned during a brief court appearance.
Standing before Judge Robert Hanophy, Colletta listened to a grand jury’s 57
count indictment brought against him after being transported to Kew Gardens
Supreme Court from Manhattan’s Bellevue Hospital Center. The indictment listed
charges of, among others, murder in the second degree, attempted murder,
assault, criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a
controlled substance. Defense attorney Todd Greenberg entered a not guilty plea
on behalf of his client, who faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted. In
court last week, prosecutors added a 10th incident to the charges. Jeffrey
Cuff, 39, of Westport, Conn., was driving on the Van Wyck Expressway when Colletta
fired upon his black Audi. That incident undermines original reports that
Colletta fired only at red vehicles because he believed he was being pursued by
the Bloods street gang. Cuff was not injured. After his client’s arrest,
Greenberg maintained that Colletta suffered from serious mental disease and
defect. Colletta had been arrested a week earlier on assault charges stemming
from a domestic dispute with his girlfriend, and Greenberg reported that he was
a diagnosed schizophrenic. While reluctant to detail the specifics of the case
he plans to make to jurors, after the Thursday proceedings Greenberg reiterated
that his client’s mental capacity will play into his argument. Source: New
York Times, August 27, 28 & 30, 2006; New York Daily News, August 27 &
28, 2006; Newsday, August 27, 28 & 30, 2006; Gothamist, August 27, 2006;
Houston Chronicle (AP), August 26, 2006; Boston Herald, 8/29/06; Associated
Press, 9/1/06

Date: 8/2006

Location: Queens, Queens, NY

Summary: Matthew Colletta, 34 was charged with second-degree
murder, reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a weapon in connection
with a six-hour shooting spree that left one person dead, at least four
injured, and a trail of shattered glass and bullet-scarred vehicles across
Queens. The police said that Colletta has a history of mental illness. He is
accused of having driven his green 1992 Cadillac through Queens late on August
25 and early on August 26, randomly firing at strangers while under the
influence of cocaine and alcohol, the authorities said. The police were still
searching for a motive. An official with knowledge of the investigation said
Mr. Colletta may have believed he was being threatened by the Bloods, a gang
identified by its red clothing, and that five of the seven vehicles fired on
were red. The shootings began about 7:30 p.m. on August 26 in Maspeth. Andrzej
Leonik, 47, was walking his dog near his house when a stranger pulled up in a
car and shot him in his right knee. At 8:10 p.m. in Long Island City, a gray
livery cab was fired at, the authorities said. Its windshield shattered, but
the driver was not hurt. Next Udai Klemnarine, 22, was shot in the left leg
outside a Chinese restaurant in Ozone Park, the authorities said. The Queens
district attorney said the shooting took place at 9 p.m., though the police
said it was at 9:40 p.m. Later near Forest Park, a brother and sister, aged 22
and 25, were looking for a parking space when bullets shattered the windshield
of their yellow car, the authorities said. They were not hurt, and their names
were not released. The shooting continued, and the gunman seemed to begin
targeting red vehicles. Just before 11 p.m., shots shattered the windows of a
red minivan. Flying glass wounded Ramsampy Veerepen, 23, in the right wrist,
and Adesh Prolwah, 29, in the left arm, the authorities said. Within a few
minutes, Todd Upton, 51, was shot on the Cross Island Expressway. Upton
subsequently died at New York Hospital Medical Center of Queens. Only minutes
later, two shots were fired at the front passenger door of another red minivan
on the Whitestone Expressway. The 27-year-old driver was not hurt. Next, the
police said, gunfire shattered the windows of a red Toyota RAV4 in the
Queensboro Hill area. The Queens district attorney’s office said the
44-year-old driver was not hurt, but the police said he was injured by flying
glass. Finally, about 1:30 a.m., the last victim, an off-duty police
lieutenant, Arnaldo Alvarado of the 76th Precinct in Brooklyn, was fired upon
in Forest Hills, the police said. He, too, was driving a red minivan. The
district attorney’s office said he was hit, but not hurt, by flying glass,
though the police said he was, in fact, injured. By then, police cars and
helicopters were searching for the green Cadillac, and a patrol officer spotted
it around 1:40 a.m. near Forest Park, where Colletta was arrested. He pulled
his car over on a one-way street as police officers poured from their cars and
blocked him in, witnesses said. Law enforcement officials said Colletta was taken
to a Queens hospital after his arrest. Prior History: Colletta was arrested a
week prior to the incident on charges of menacing and assault, after his
girlfriend said he threatened her with a hammer, tried to strangle her and
dragged her across the floor. Since then Colletta had been living in his car,
the authorities said. A friend said Colletta had been taking lithium to treat
paranoid schizophrenia. Colletta shares a two-story house with his father in
Woodhaven. He and his girlfriend, Philomenia Zevlakis, 23, who lived two doors
down, often had raucous fights, neighbors said. John Perry, who said he was Mr.
Colletta’s best friend, said Ms. Zevlakis took out a restraining order against
Colletta after the assault. Colletta, who had been released from jail without
bail, was living in his car because his house was too close to hers. Colletta
also was arrested in 2000 on drug possession charges, the district attorney’s
office said, but the outcome of the case was not available. Neighbors painted
contrasting portraits of Mr. Colletta, who they said grew up in the
neighborhood. Margaret-Mary Hasselberg, 79, said he was a tough guy who walked
with a swagger, yet still shoveled snow from her sidewalk and drove her to
church during bad weather. Friends of Mr. Colletta who would not give their
names said he was quiet and hard working but distraught over his deteriorating
relationship with Ms. Zevlakis. Subsequent History: Todd Greenberg, the lawyer
for Matthew Colletta, hinted at an insanity defense as his client was taken to
a mental hospital. "His mental capacity is going to play a part in this
issue on whether he had the intent to commit these crimes," said
Greenberg. "From what I know of Matthew," said the lawyer, "this
is out of character for him." But a police source yesterday raised
questions about Colletta's penchant for violence, saying the 34-year-old
diagnosed schizophrenic should have never been released without bail after
allegedly assaulting his girlfriend on Aug. 20. "It wasn't like it was his
first time in trouble," the source said of Colletta, who has a past drug
conviction. Prosecutors said yesterday they requested $1,000 bail in the
assault case. They noted the Queens man had no prior convictions for violent
crimes. Colletta's arraignment was postponed as he was sent to a psychiatric
facility, officials said. Greenberg said Colletta had been in and out of mental
hospitals for years, including a stint at Queens' Creedmoor Psychiatric Center.
"He's going to be held responsible either being confined to a psychiatric
institution or being confined to a prison cell," said Queens District
Attorney Richard Brown. The spree's first victim, Andrzej Leonik, 46, told the
Daily News yesterday he was wearing a red shirt when he was shot while walking
his dog in Maspeth on Friday night. Colletta told cops he fired at Leonik
because he thought the "devil dog" was about to attack a baby, a
police source said. Leonik said a neighbor was petting Sonya, his harmless
Boston terrier. "This guy must have been on drugs or sick or
something," Leonik said. Subsequent History: Matthew Colletta, 34, the
suspect in a weekend shooting spree in Queens that killed one man and injured
five was pulled out of the jailhouse booking system for psychiatric evaluation
at Bellevue Hospital Center, and the suspect’s lawyer said that he expected to
base the man’s defense on his mental condition. Colletta was under observation
at the hospital, where he was taken after becoming disruptive while in custody
on Saturday night, said Richard A. Brown, the Queens district attorney.
Prosecutors added weapons and drug charges to the counts against Mr. Colletta
after the police found a second loaded gun in his 1992 Cadillac and cocaine in
his pants pocket, Mr. Brown said. Mr. Colletta had already been charged with
second-degree murder, reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a
weapon. Mr. Colletta’s lawyer, Todd D. Greenberg, said his client had been
hospitalized in the past and had been given a diagnosis of paranoid
schizophrenia. Mr. Greenberg said that “He has been told what happened. He
feels terrible about it. He says he would never hurt anybody. But I don’t think
he has an awareness of his actions without being told.” He said he left his
meeting with his client “more convinced” that Mr. Colletta was suffering from a
mental illness at the time of the shooting spree. “It confirms in my mind that
he was delusional and extremely, extremely paranoid. That fits in with his
diagnosis and contributed to his actions,” Mr. Greenberg said. He said that he
was not sure that Mr. Colletta would be fit for court proceedings and that he
expected to base his legal defense on the argument that Mr. Colletta was not
responsible for his actions by reason of mental disease or defect. Mr. Colletta
is to be arraigned on murder, assault and related charges at Bellevue or in
Queens Criminal Court but must undergo further testing to determine whether he
is competent to stand trial and to participate in his defense, Mr. Brown said.
The police have said that Mr. Colletta spent the week prior to the shooting
spree snorting cocaine and sleeping in his Cadillac. By the morning of August
25, he appeared testy and erratic to a couple he encountered outside his home.
The couple said they were parked outside his home about 6 a.m. after a night
out when Mr. Colletta, who was watering his hedges, sprayed their cream-colored
car. “I don’t like people parking in front of my house,” he told the couple,
Mr. Madrow said, and continued: “Do you think you have more money than me? Do
you think you’re richer than me?” About 13 hours later, the shooting spree
began. According to the authorities, Mr. Colletta was under the influence of
cocaine and alcohol during the shooting spree, which would have aggravated any
psychotic episode. It was unclear if he had been taking medication lately.
Subsequent History: Matthew Colletta, charged with a drive-by shooting spree in
Queens that left one man dead and at least four others injured, told the police
that he got his gun from Lucifer and that he was reacting to “red cars closing
in,” according to prosecutors at a bedside arraignment on August 29, 2006 at
Bellevue Hospital Center in Manhattan, where he was being held without bail.
Most of the targets were chosen because they were in red vehicles, the police
said. Colletta said he believed he was being threatened by the Bloods gang,
which is identified with the color red. Prosecutors said Colletta described to
police officers “red cars closing in” during the spree, said Marcus Franklin, a
reporter for The Associated Press who was selected to represent fellow
reporters at the arraignment. When arrested, Mr. Colletta gave police
investigators several versions of the events that seemed contradictory and
fantastical at times, prosecutors said. In one version, Mr. Colletta denied
involvement in the spree, telling police that he left his car in the valet
parking lot of a strip club and that “someone must have put the gun there;
that’s not mine.” But he also told police investigators he had been temporarily
living in his car and that he found the gun “in a container,” prosecutors said.
The police have said that Mr. Colletta spent last week snorting cocaine and
sleeping in his car, a Cadillac. Prosecutors said that Mr. Colletta possessed
some cocaine and five bags of angel dust, and that he said he had “borrowed the
gun from Lucifer.” State Supreme Court Judge Justice Fernando Camacho ordered
Mr. Colletta held without bail and be given a psychiatric exam to determine if
he is fit to stand trial. Todd D. Greenberg, a lawyer for Mr. Colletta, said
after the arraignment that his client had a long history of mental illness and
had been in and out of mental hospitals since he was 18. Mr. Colletta was
diagnosed as suffering from paranoid schizophrenia and manic depression,
Greenberg said. Greenberg said that he entered a plea of not guilty for Mr.
Colletta, and that the psychiatric exam would show that Mr. Colletta was
incompetent to stand trial because he did “not understand the nature of the
proceedings” and that he was “not responsible by reasons of mental disease and
defect.” Mr. Greenberg said his client’s mental illness pushed him into taking
drugs, which in turn “exacerbated his paranoia.” “When I spoke to him, I had to
tell him what happened,” Mr. Greenberg said. “When I told him a life was lost,
he was devastated.” Subsequent History: Matthew Colletta was indicted by a
grand jury on charges related to the Aug. 25 Queens shooting spree District
Attorney Richard Brown said on August 31, 2006. Brown, who was still presenting
his case to the grand jury, said once the indictment is filed in the next few
weeks the charges will be made public. Colletta was undergoing psychiatric
examinations ordered by a judge to determine his fitness to stand trial.
Subsequent History: On October 5, 2006, Matthew Colletta, 34, the suspect
authorities believe was behind a deadly six hour bullet barrage seven weeks ago
was arraigned during a brief court appearance. Standing before Judge Robert
Hanophy, Colletta listened to a grand jury’s 57 count indictment brought
against him after being transported to Kew Gardens Supreme Court from
Manhattan’s Bellevue Hospital Center. The indictment listed charges of, among
others, murder in the second degree, attempted murder, assault, criminal
possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a controlled substance.
Defense attorney Todd Greenberg entered a not guilty plea on behalf of his
client, who faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted. In court last week,
prosecutors added a 10th incident to the charges. Jeffrey Cuff, 39, of
Westport, Conn., was driving on the Van Wyck Expressway when Colletta fired
upon his black Audi. That incident undermines original reports that Colletta
fired only at red vehicles because he believed he was being pursued by the
Bloods street gang. Cuff was not injured. After his client’s arrest, Greenberg
maintained that Colletta suffered from serious mental disease and defect.
Colletta had been arrested a week earlier on assault charges stemming from a
domestic dispute with his girlfriend, and Greenberg reported that he was a
diagnosed schizophrenic. While reluctant to detail the specifics of the case he
plans to make to jurors, after the Thursday proceedings Greenberg reiterated
that his client’s mental capacity will play into his argument. Source: New
York Times, August 27, 28 & 30, 2006; New York Daily News, August 27 &
28, 2006; Newsday, August 27, 28 & 30, 2006; Gothamist, August 27, 2006;
Houston Chronicle (AP), August 26, 2006; Boston Herald, 8/29/06; Associated Press,
9/1/06

Date: 8/2006

Location: Queens, Queens, NY

Summary: Matthew Colletta, 34 was charged with second-degree
murder, reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a weapon in connection
with a six-hour shooting spree that left one person dead, at least four injured,
and a trail of shattered glass and bullet-scarred vehicles across Queens. The
police said that Colletta has a history of mental illness. He is accused of
having driven his green 1992 Cadillac through Queens late on August 25 and
early on August 26, randomly firing at strangers while under the influence of
cocaine and alcohol, the authorities said. The police were still searching for
a motive. An official with knowledge of the investigation said Mr. Colletta may
have believed he was being threatened by the Bloods, a gang identified by its
red clothing, and that five of the seven vehicles fired on were red. The
shootings began about 7:30 p.m. on August 26 in Maspeth. Andrzej Leonik, 47,
was walking his dog near his house when a stranger pulled up in a car and shot
him in his right knee. At 8:10 p.m. in Long Island City, a gray livery cab was
fired at, the authorities said. Its windshield shattered, but the driver was
not hurt. Next Udai Klemnarine, 22, was shot in the left leg outside a Chinese
restaurant in Ozone Park, the authorities said. The Queens district attorney
said the shooting took place at 9 p.m., though the police said it was at 9:40
p.m. Later near Forest Park, a brother and sister, aged 22 and 25, were looking
for a parking space when bullets shattered the windshield of their yellow car,
the authorities said. They were not hurt, and their names were not released.
The shooting continued, and the gunman seemed to begin targeting red vehicles.
Just before 11 p.m., shots shattered the windows of a red minivan. Flying glass
wounded Ramsampy Veerepen, 23, in the right wrist, and Adesh Prolwah, 29, in
the left arm, the authorities said. Within a few minutes, Todd Upton, 51, was
shot on the Cross Island Expressway. Upton subsequently died at New York Hospital
Medical Center of Queens. Only minutes later, two shots were fired at the front
passenger door of another red minivan on the Whitestone Expressway. The
27-year-old driver was not hurt. Next, the police said, gunfire shattered the
windows of a red Toyota RAV4 in the Queensboro Hill area. The Queens district
attorney’s office said the 44-year-old driver was not hurt, but the police said
he was injured by flying glass. Finally, about 1:30 a.m., the last victim, an
off-duty police lieutenant, Arnaldo Alvarado of the 76th Precinct in Brooklyn,
was fired upon in Forest Hills, the police said. He, too, was driving a red
minivan. The district attorney’s office said he was hit, but not hurt, by
flying glass, though the police said he was, in fact, injured. By then, police
cars and helicopters were searching for the green Cadillac, and a patrol
officer spotted it around 1:40 a.m. near Forest Park, where Colletta was
arrested. He pulled his car over on a one-way street as police officers poured
from their cars and blocked him in, witnesses said. Law enforcement officials
said Colletta was taken to a Queens hospital after his arrest. Prior History:
Colletta was arrested a week prior to the incident on charges of menacing and
assault, after his girlfriend said he threatened her with a hammer, tried to
strangle her and dragged her across the floor. Since then Colletta had been
living in his car, the authorities said. A friend said Colletta had been taking
lithium to treat paranoid schizophrenia. Colletta shares a two-story house with
his father in Woodhaven. He and his girlfriend, Philomenia Zevlakis, 23, who
lived two doors down, often had raucous fights, neighbors said. John Perry, who
said he was Mr. Colletta’s best friend, said Ms. Zevlakis took out a restraining
order against Colletta after the assault. Colletta, who had been released from
jail without bail, was living in his car because his house was too close to
hers. Colletta also was arrested in 2000 on drug possession charges, the
district attorney’s office said, but the outcome of the case was not available.
Neighbors painted contrasting portraits of Mr. Colletta, who they said grew up
in the neighborhood. Margaret-Mary Hasselberg, 79, said he was a tough guy who
walked with a swagger, yet still shoveled snow from her sidewalk and drove her
to church during bad weather. Friends of Mr. Colletta who would not give their
names said he was quiet and hard working but distraught over his deteriorating
relationship with Ms. Zevlakis. Subsequent History: Todd Greenberg, the lawyer
for Matthew Colletta, hinted at an insanity defense as his client was taken to
a mental hospital. "His mental capacity is going to play a part in this
issue on whether he had the intent to commit these crimes," said
Greenberg. "From what I know of Matthew," said the lawyer, "this
is out of character for him." But a police source yesterday raised
questions about Colletta's penchant for violence, saying the 34-year-old
diagnosed schizophrenic should have never been released without bail after allegedly
assaulting his girlfriend on Aug. 20. "It wasn't like it was his first
time in trouble," the source said of Colletta, who has a past drug
conviction. Prosecutors said yesterday they requested $1,000 bail in the
assault case. They noted the Queens man had no prior convictions for violent
crimes. Colletta's arraignment was postponed as he was sent to a psychiatric
facility, officials said. Greenberg said Colletta had been in and out of mental
hospitals for years, including a stint at Queens' Creedmoor Psychiatric Center.
"He's going to be held responsible either being confined to a psychiatric
institution or being confined to a prison cell," said Queens District
Attorney Richard Brown. The spree's first victim, Andrzej Leonik, 46, told the
Daily News yesterday he was wearing a red shirt when he was shot while walking
his dog in Maspeth on Friday night. Colletta told cops he fired at Leonik
because he thought the "devil dog" was about to attack a baby, a
police source said. Leonik said a neighbor was petting Sonya, his harmless
Boston terrier. "This guy must have been on drugs or sick or
something," Leonik said. Subsequent History: Matthew Colletta, 34, the
suspect in a weekend shooting spree in Queens that killed one man and injured
five was pulled out of the jailhouse booking system for psychiatric evaluation
at Bellevue Hospital Center, and the suspect’s lawyer said that he expected to
base the man’s defense on his mental condition. Colletta was under observation
at the hospital, where he was taken after becoming disruptive while in custody
on Saturday night, said Richard A. Brown, the Queens district attorney.
Prosecutors added weapons and drug charges to the counts against Mr. Colletta
after the police found a second loaded gun in his 1992 Cadillac and cocaine in
his pants pocket, Mr. Brown said. Mr. Colletta had already been charged with
second-degree murder, reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a
weapon. Mr. Colletta’s lawyer, Todd D. Greenberg, said his client had been
hospitalized in the past and had been given a diagnosis of paranoid
schizophrenia. Mr. Greenberg said that “He has been told what happened. He
feels terrible about it. He says he would never hurt anybody. But I don’t think
he has an awareness of his actions without being told.” He said he left his
meeting with his client “more convinced” that Mr. Colletta was suffering from a
mental illness at the time of the shooting spree. “It confirms in my mind that
he was delusional and extremely, extremely paranoid. That fits in with his
diagnosis and contributed to his actions,” Mr. Greenberg said. He said that he
was not sure that Mr. Colletta would be fit for court proceedings and that he
expected to base his legal defense on the argument that Mr. Colletta was not
responsible for his actions by reason of mental disease or defect. Mr. Colletta
is to be arraigned on murder, assault and related charges at Bellevue or in
Queens Criminal Court but must undergo further testing to determine whether he
is competent to stand trial and to participate in his defense, Mr. Brown said.
The police have said that Mr. Colletta spent the week prior to the shooting
spree snorting cocaine and sleeping in his Cadillac. By the morning of August
25, he appeared testy and erratic to a couple he encountered outside his home.
The couple said they were parked outside his home about 6 a.m. after a night
out when Mr. Colletta, who was watering his hedges, sprayed their cream-colored
car. “I don’t like people parking in front of my house,” he told the couple,
Mr. Madrow said, and continued: “Do you think you have more money than me? Do
you think you’re richer than me?” About 13 hours later, the shooting spree
began. According to the authorities, Mr. Colletta was under the influence of
cocaine and alcohol during the shooting spree, which would have aggravated any
psychotic episode. It was unclear if he had been taking medication lately.
Subsequent History: Matthew Colletta, charged with a drive-by shooting spree in
Queens that left one man dead and at least four others injured, told the police
that he got his gun from Lucifer and that he was reacting to “red cars closing
in,” according to prosecutors at a bedside arraignment on August 29, 2006 at
Bellevue Hospital Center in Manhattan, where he was being held without bail.
Most of the targets were chosen because they were in red vehicles, the police
said. Colletta said he believed he was being threatened by the Bloods gang,
which is identified with the color red. Prosecutors said Colletta described to
police officers “red cars closing in” during the spree, said Marcus Franklin, a
reporter for The Associated Press who was selected to represent fellow
reporters at the arraignment. When arrested, Mr. Colletta gave police
investigators several versions of the events that seemed contradictory and
fantastical at times, prosecutors said. In one version, Mr. Colletta denied
involvement in the spree, telling police that he left his car in the valet
parking lot of a strip club and that “someone must have put the gun there;
that’s not mine.” But he also told police investigators he had been temporarily
living in his car and that he found the gun “in a container,” prosecutors said.
The police have said that Mr. Colletta spent last week snorting cocaine and
sleeping in his car, a Cadillac. Prosecutors said that Mr. Colletta possessed
some cocaine and five bags of angel dust, and that he said he had “borrowed the
gun from Lucifer.” State Supreme Court Judge Justice Fernando Camacho ordered
Mr. Colletta held without bail and be given a psychiatric exam to determine if
he is fit to stand trial. Todd D. Greenberg, a lawyer for Mr. Colletta, said
after the arraignment that his client had a long history of mental illness and
had been in and out of mental hospitals since he was 18. Mr. Colletta was
diagnosed as suffering from paranoid schizophrenia and manic depression,
Greenberg said. Greenberg said that he entered a plea of not guilty for Mr.
Colletta, and that the psychiatric exam would show that Mr. Colletta was
incompetent to stand trial because he did “not understand the nature of the
proceedings” and that he was “not responsible by reasons of mental disease and
defect.” Mr. Greenberg said his client’s mental illness pushed him into taking
drugs, which in turn “exacerbated his paranoia.” “When I spoke to him, I had to
tell him what happened,” Mr. Greenberg said. “When I told him a life was lost,
he was devastated.” Subsequent History: Matthew Colletta was indicted by a
grand jury on charges related to the Aug. 25 Queens shooting spree District
Attorney Richard Brown said on August 31, 2006. Brown, who was still presenting
his case to the grand jury, said once the indictment is filed in the next few
weeks the charges will be made public. Colletta was undergoing psychiatric
examinations ordered by a judge to determine his fitness to stand trial.
Subsequent History: On October 5, 2006, Matthew Colletta, 34, the suspect
authorities believe was behind a deadly six hour bullet barrage seven weeks ago
was arraigned during a brief court appearance. Standing before Judge Robert
Hanophy, Colletta listened to a grand jury’s 57 count indictment brought
against him after being transported to Kew Gardens Supreme Court from
Manhattan’s Bellevue Hospital Center. The indictment listed charges of, among
others, murder in the second degree, attempted murder, assault, criminal
possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a controlled substance.
Defense attorney Todd Greenberg entered a not guilty plea on behalf of his
client, who faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted. In court last week,
prosecutors added a 10th incident to the charges. Jeffrey Cuff, 39, of
Westport, Conn., was driving on the Van Wyck Expressway when Colletta fired
upon his black Audi. That incident undermines original reports that Colletta
fired only at red vehicles because he believed he was being pursued by the
Bloods street gang. Cuff was not injured. After his client’s arrest, Greenberg
maintained that Colletta suffered from serious mental disease and defect.
Colletta had been arrested a week earlier on assault charges stemming from a
domestic dispute with his girlfriend, and Greenberg reported that he was a
diagnosed schizophrenic. While reluctant to detail the specifics of the case he
plans to make to jurors, after the Thursday proceedings Greenberg reiterated
that his client’s mental capacity will play into his argument. Source: New
York Times, August 27, 28 & 30, 2006; New York Daily News, August 27 &
28, 2006; Newsday, August 27, 28 & 30, 2006; Gothamist, August 27, 2006;
Houston Chronicle (AP), August 26, 2006; Boston Herald, 8/29/06; Associated
Press, 9/1/06

Date: 8/2006

Location: Queens, Queens, NY

Summary: Matthew Colletta, 34 was charged with second-degree
murder, reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a weapon in connection
with a six-hour shooting spree that left one person dead, at least four
injured, and a trail of shattered glass and bullet-scarred vehicles across
Queens. The police said that Colletta has a history of mental illness. He is
accused of having driven his green 1992 Cadillac through Queens late on August
25 and early on August 26, randomly firing at strangers while under the
influence of cocaine and alcohol, the authorities said. The police were still
searching for a motive. An official with knowledge of the investigation said
Mr. Colletta may have believed he was being threatened by the Bloods, a gang
identified by its red clothing, and that five of the seven vehicles fired on
were red. The shootings began about 7:30 p.m. on August 26 in Maspeth. Andrzej
Leonik, 47, was walking his dog near his house when a stranger pulled up in a
car and shot him in his right knee. At 8:10 p.m. in Long Island City, a gray
livery cab was fired at, the authorities said. Its windshield shattered, but
the driver was not hurt. Next Udai Klemnarine, 22, was shot in the left leg
outside a Chinese restaurant in Ozone Park, the authorities said. The Queens
district attorney said the shooting took place at 9 p.m., though the police
said it was at 9:40 p.m. Later near Forest Park, a brother and sister, aged 22
and 25, were looking for a parking space when bullets shattered the windshield
of their yellow car, the authorities said. They were not hurt, and their names
were not released. The shooting continued, and the gunman seemed to begin
targeting red vehicles. Just before 11 p.m., shots shattered the windows of a
red minivan. Flying glass wounded Ramsampy Veerepen, 23, in the right wrist,
and Adesh Prolwah, 29, in the left arm, the authorities said. Within a few
minutes, Todd Upton, 51, was shot on the Cross Island Expressway. Upton
subsequently died at New York Hospital Medical Center of Queens. Only minutes
later, two shots were fired at the front passenger door of another red minivan
on the Whitestone Expressway. The 27-year-old driver was not hurt. Next, the
police said, gunfire shattered the windows of a red Toyota RAV4 in the
Queensboro Hill area. The Queens district attorney’s office said the
44-year-old driver was not hurt, but the police said he was injured by flying
glass. Finally, about 1:30 a.m., the last victim, an off-duty police
lieutenant, Arnaldo Alvarado of the 76th Precinct in Brooklyn, was fired upon
in Forest Hills, the police said. He, too, was driving a red minivan. The
district attorney’s office said he was hit, but not hurt, by flying glass,
though the police said he was, in fact, injured. By then, police cars and
helicopters were searching for the green Cadillac, and a patrol officer spotted
it around 1:40 a.m. near Forest Park, where Colletta was arrested. He pulled
his car over on a one-way street as police officers poured from their cars and
blocked him in, witnesses said. Law enforcement officials said Colletta was
taken to a Queens hospital after his arrest. Prior History: Colletta was
arrested a week prior to the incident on charges of menacing and assault, after
his girlfriend said he threatened her with a hammer, tried to strangle her and
dragged her across the floor. Since then Colletta had been living in his car,
the authorities said. A friend said Colletta had been taking lithium to treat
paranoid schizophrenia. Colletta shares a two-story house with his father in
Woodhaven. He and his girlfriend, Philomenia Zevlakis, 23, who lived two doors
down, often had raucous fights, neighbors said. John Perry, who said he was Mr.
Colletta’s best friend, said Ms. Zevlakis took out a restraining order against
Colletta after the assault. Colletta, who had been released from jail without
bail, was living in his car because his house was too close to hers. Colletta also
was arrested in 2000 on drug possession charges, the district attorney’s office
said, but the outcome of the case was not available. Neighbors painted
contrasting portraits of Mr. Colletta, who they said grew up in the
neighborhood. Margaret-Mary Hasselberg, 79, said he was a tough guy who walked
with a swagger, yet still shoveled snow from her sidewalk and drove her to
church during bad weather. Friends of Mr. Colletta who would not give their
names said he was quiet and hard working but distraught over his deteriorating
relationship with Ms. Zevlakis. Subsequent History: Todd Greenberg, the lawyer
for Matthew Colletta, hinted at an insanity defense as his client was taken to
a mental hospital. "His mental capacity is going to play a part in this
issue on whether he had the intent to commit these crimes," said
Greenberg. "From what I know of Matthew," said the lawyer, "this
is out of character for him." But a police source yesterday raised
questions about Colletta's penchant for violence, saying the 34-year-old
diagnosed schizophrenic should have never been released without bail after
allegedly assaulting his girlfriend on Aug. 20. "It wasn't like it was his
first time in trouble," the source said of Colletta, who has a past drug
conviction. Prosecutors said yesterday they requested $1,000 bail in the
assault case. They noted the Queens man had no prior convictions for violent
crimes. Colletta's arraignment was postponed as he was sent to a psychiatric
facility, officials said. Greenberg said Colletta had been in and out of mental
hospitals for years, including a stint at Queens' Creedmoor Psychiatric Center.
"He's going to be held responsible either being confined to a psychiatric
institution or being confined to a prison cell," said Queens District
Attorney Richard Brown. The spree's first victim, Andrzej Leonik, 46, told the
Daily News yesterday he was wearing a red shirt when he was shot while walking
his dog in Maspeth on Friday night. Colletta told cops he fired at Leonik
because he thought the "devil dog" was about to attack a baby, a
police source said. Leonik said a neighbor was petting Sonya, his harmless
Boston terrier. "This guy must have been on drugs or sick or
something," Leonik said. Subsequent History: Matthew Colletta, 34, the
suspect in a weekend shooting spree in Queens that killed one man and injured
five was pulled out of the jailhouse booking system for psychiatric evaluation
at Bellevue Hospital Center, and the suspect’s lawyer said that he expected to
base the man’s defense on his mental condition. Colletta was under observation
at the hospital, where he was taken after becoming disruptive while in custody
on Saturday night, said Richard A. Brown, the Queens district attorney.
Prosecutors added weapons and drug charges to the counts against Mr. Colletta
after the police found a second loaded gun in his 1992 Cadillac and cocaine in
his pants pocket, Mr. Brown said. Mr. Colletta had already been charged with
second-degree murder, reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a weapon.
Mr. Colletta’s lawyer, Todd D. Greenberg, said his client had been hospitalized
in the past and had been given a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia. Mr.
Greenberg said that “He has been told what happened. He feels terrible about
it. He says he would never hurt anybody. But I don’t think he has an awareness
of his actions without being told.” He said he left his meeting with his client
“more convinced” that Mr. Colletta was suffering from a mental illness at the
time of the shooting spree. “It confirms in my mind that he was delusional and
extremely, extremely paranoid. That fits in with his diagnosis and contributed
to his actions,” Mr. Greenberg said. He said that he was not sure that Mr.
Colletta would be fit for court proceedings and that he expected to base his
legal defense on the argument that Mr. Colletta was not responsible for his
actions by reason of mental disease or defect. Mr. Colletta is to be arraigned
on murder, assault and related charges at Bellevue or in Queens Criminal Court
but must undergo further testing to determine whether he is competent to stand
trial and to participate in his defense, Mr. Brown said. The police have said
that Mr. Colletta spent the week prior to the shooting spree snorting cocaine
and sleeping in his Cadillac. By the morning of August 25, he appeared testy
and erratic to a couple he encountered outside his home. The couple said they
were parked outside his home about 6 a.m. after a night out when Mr. Colletta,
who was watering his hedges, sprayed their cream-colored car. “I don’t like
people parking in front of my house,” he told the couple, Mr. Madrow said, and
continued: “Do you think you have more money than me? Do you think you’re
richer than me?” About 13 hours later, the shooting spree began. According to
the authorities, Mr. Colletta was under the influence of cocaine and alcohol
during the shooting spree, which would have aggravated any psychotic episode.
It was unclear if he had been taking medication lately. Subsequent History:
Matthew Colletta, charged with a drive-by shooting spree in Queens that left
one man dead and at least four others injured, told the police that he got his
gun from Lucifer and that he was reacting to “red cars closing in,” according
to prosecutors at a bedside arraignment on August 29, 2006 at Bellevue Hospital
Center in Manhattan, where he was being held without bail. Most of the targets
were chosen because they were in red vehicles, the police said. Colletta said
he believed he was being threatened by the Bloods gang, which is identified
with the color red. Prosecutors said Colletta described to police officers “red
cars closing in” during the spree, said Marcus Franklin, a reporter for The
Associated Press who was selected to represent fellow reporters at the
arraignment. When arrested, Mr. Colletta gave police investigators several
versions of the events that seemed contradictory and fantastical at times,
prosecutors said. In one version, Mr. Colletta denied involvement in the spree,
telling police that he left his car in the valet parking lot of a strip club
and that “someone must have put the gun there; that’s not mine.” But he also
told police investigators he had been temporarily living in his car and that he
found the gun “in a container,” prosecutors said. The police have said that Mr.
Colletta spent last week snorting cocaine and sleeping in his car, a Cadillac.
Prosecutors said that Mr. Colletta possessed some cocaine and five bags of
angel dust, and that he said he had “borrowed the gun from Lucifer.” State
Supreme Court Judge Justice Fernando Camacho ordered Mr. Colletta held without
bail and be given a psychiatric exam to determine if he is fit to stand trial.
Todd D. Greenberg, a lawyer for Mr. Colletta, said after the arraignment that
his client had a long history of mental illness and had been in and out of
mental hospitals since he was 18. Mr. Colletta was diagnosed as suffering from
paranoid schizophrenia and manic depression, Greenberg said. Greenberg said
that he entered a plea of not guilty for Mr. Colletta, and that the psychiatric
exam would show that Mr. Colletta was incompetent to stand trial because he did
“not understand the nature of the proceedings” and that he was “not responsible
by reasons of mental disease and defect.” Mr. Greenberg said his client’s mental
illness pushed him into taking drugs, which in turn “exacerbated his paranoia.”
“When I spoke to him, I had to tell him what happened,” Mr. Greenberg said.
“When I told him a life was lost, he was devastated.” Subsequent History:
Matthew Colletta was indicted by a grand jury on charges related to the Aug. 25
Queens shooting spree District Attorney Richard Brown said on August 31, 2006.
Brown, who was still presenting his case to the grand jury, said once the
indictment is filed in the next few weeks the charges will be made public.
Colletta was undergoing psychiatric examinations ordered by a judge to
determine his fitness to stand trial. Subsequent History: On October 5, 2006,
Matthew Colletta, 34, the suspect authorities believe was behind a deadly six hour
bullet barrage seven weeks ago was arraigned during a brief court appearance.
Standing before Judge Robert Hanophy, Colletta listened to a grand jury’s 57
count indictment brought against him after being transported to Kew Gardens
Supreme Court from Manhattan’s Bellevue Hospital Center. The indictment listed
charges of, among others, murder in the second degree, attempted murder,
assault, criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a
controlled substance. Defense attorney Todd Greenberg entered a not guilty plea
on behalf of his client, who faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted. In
court last week, prosecutors added a 10th incident to the charges. Jeffrey
Cuff, 39, of Westport, Conn., was driving on the Van Wyck Expressway when Colletta
fired upon his black Audi. That incident undermines original reports that
Colletta fired only at red vehicles because he believed he was being pursued by
the Bloods street gang. Cuff was not injured. After his client’s arrest,
Greenberg maintained that Colletta suffered from serious mental disease and
defect. Colletta had been arrested a week earlier on assault charges stemming
from a domestic dispute with his girlfriend, and Greenberg reported that he was
a diagnosed schizophrenic. While reluctant to detail the specifics of the case
he plans to make to jurors, after the Thursday proceedings Greenberg reiterated
that his client’s mental capacity will play into his argument. Source: New
York Times, August 27, 28 & 30, 2006; New York Daily News, August 27 &
28, 2006; Newsday, August 27, 28 & 30, 2006; Gothamist, August 27, 2006;
Houston Chronicle (AP), August 26, 2006; Boston Herald, 8/29/06; Associated
Press, 9/1/06

Date: 8/2006

Location: Queens, Queens, NY

Summary: Matthew Colletta, 34 was charged with second-degree
murder, reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a weapon in connection
with a six-hour shooting spree that left one person dead, at least four
injured, and a trail of shattered glass and bullet-scarred vehicles across
Queens. The police said that Colletta has a history of mental illness. He is
accused of having driven his green 1992 Cadillac through Queens late on August
25 and early on August 26, randomly firing at strangers while under the
influence of cocaine and alcohol, the authorities said. The police were still
searching for a motive. An official with knowledge of the investigation said
Mr. Colletta may have believed he was being threatened by the Bloods, a gang
identified by its red clothing, and that five of the seven vehicles fired on
were red. The shootings began about 7:30 p.m. on August 26 in Maspeth. Andrzej
Leonik, 47, was walking his dog near his house when a stranger pulled up in a
car and shot him in his right knee. At 8:10 p.m. in Long Island City, a gray
livery cab was fired at, the authorities said. Its windshield shattered, but
the driver was not hurt. Next Udai Klemnarine, 22, was shot in the left leg
outside a Chinese restaurant in Ozone Park, the authorities said. The Queens
district attorney said the shooting took place at 9 p.m., though the police
said it was at 9:40 p.m. Later near Forest Park, a brother and sister, aged 22
and 25, were looking for a parking space when bullets shattered the windshield
of their yellow car, the authorities said. They were not hurt, and their names
were not released. The shooting continued, and the gunman seemed to begin
targeting red vehicles. Just before 11 p.m., shots shattered the windows of a
red minivan. Flying glass wounded Ramsampy Veerepen, 23, in the right wrist,
and Adesh Prolwah, 29, in the left arm, the authorities said. Within a few
minutes, Todd Upton, 51, was shot on the Cross Island Expressway. Upton
subsequently died at New York Hospital Medical Center of Queens. Only minutes
later, two shots were fired at the front passenger door of another red minivan
on the Whitestone Expressway. The 27-year-old driver was not hurt. Next, the
police said, gunfire shattered the windows of a red Toyota RAV4 in the
Queensboro Hill area. The Queens district attorney’s office said the
44-year-old driver was not hurt, but the police said he was injured by flying
glass. Finally, about 1:30 a.m., the last victim, an off-duty police
lieutenant, Arnaldo Alvarado of the 76th Precinct in Brooklyn, was fired upon
in Forest Hills, the police said. He, too, was driving a red minivan. The
district attorney’s office said he was hit, but not hurt, by flying glass,
though the police said he was, in fact, injured. By then, police cars and
helicopters were searching for the green Cadillac, and a patrol officer spotted
it around 1:40 a.m. near Forest Park, where Colletta was arrested. He pulled
his car over on a one-way street as police officers poured from their cars and
blocked him in, witnesses said. Law enforcement officials said Colletta was
taken to a Queens hospital after his arrest. Prior History: Colletta was
arrested a week prior to the incident on charges of menacing and assault, after
his girlfriend said he threatened her with a hammer, tried to strangle her and
dragged her across the floor. Since then Colletta had been living in his car,
the authorities said. A friend said Colletta had been taking lithium to treat
paranoid schizophrenia. Colletta shares a two-story house with his father in
Woodhaven. He and his girlfriend, Philomenia Zevlakis, 23, who lived two doors
down, often had raucous fights, neighbors said. John Perry, who said he was Mr.
Colletta’s best friend, said Ms. Zevlakis took out a restraining order against
Colletta after the assault. Colletta, who had been released from jail without
bail, was living in his car because his house was too close to hers. Colletta
also was arrested in 2000 on drug possession charges, the district attorney’s
office said, but the outcome of the case was not available. Neighbors painted
contrasting portraits of Mr. Colletta, who they said grew up in the
neighborhood. Margaret-Mary Hasselberg, 79, said he was a tough guy who walked
with a swagger, yet still shoveled snow from her sidewalk and drove her to
church during bad weather. Friends of Mr. Colletta who would not give their
names said he was quiet and hard working but distraught over his deteriorating
relationship with Ms. Zevlakis. Subsequent History: Todd Greenberg, the lawyer
for Matthew Colletta, hinted at an insanity defense as his client was taken to
a mental hospital. "His mental capacity is going to play a part in this
issue on whether he had the intent to commit these crimes," said
Greenberg. "From what I know of Matthew," said the lawyer, "this
is out of character for him." But a police source yesterday raised
questions about Colletta's penchant for violence, saying the 34-year-old
diagnosed schizophrenic should have never been released without bail after
allegedly assaulting his girlfriend on Aug. 20. "It wasn't like it was his
first time in trouble," the source said of Colletta, who has a past drug
conviction. Prosecutors said yesterday they requested $1,000 bail in the
assault case. They noted the Queens man had no prior convictions for violent
crimes. Colletta's arraignment was postponed as he was sent to a psychiatric
facility, officials said. Greenberg said Colletta had been in and out of mental
hospitals for years, including a stint at Queens' Creedmoor Psychiatric Center.
"He's going to be held responsible either being confined to a psychiatric
institution or being confined to a prison cell," said Queens District
Attorney Richard Brown. The spree's first victim, Andrzej Leonik, 46, told the
Daily News yesterday he was wearing a red shirt when he was shot while walking
his dog in Maspeth on Friday night. Colletta told cops he fired at Leonik
because he thought the "devil dog" was about to attack a baby, a
police source said. Leonik said a neighbor was petting Sonya, his harmless
Boston terrier. "This guy must have been on drugs or sick or
something," Leonik said. Subsequent History: Matthew Colletta, 34, the
suspect in a weekend shooting spree in Queens that killed one man and injured
five was pulled out of the jailhouse booking system for psychiatric evaluation
at Bellevue Hospital Center, and the suspect’s lawyer said that he expected to
base the man’s defense on his mental condition. Colletta was under observation
at the hospital, where he was taken after becoming disruptive while in custody
on Saturday night, said Richard A. Brown, the Queens district attorney.
Prosecutors added weapons and drug charges to the counts against Mr. Colletta
after the police found a second loaded gun in his 1992 Cadillac and cocaine in
his pants pocket, Mr. Brown said. Mr. Colletta had already been charged with
second-degree murder, reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a
weapon. Mr. Colletta’s lawyer, Todd D. Greenberg, said his client had been
hospitalized in the past and had been given a diagnosis of paranoid
schizophrenia. Mr. Greenberg said that “He has been told what happened. He
feels terrible about it. He says he would never hurt anybody. But I don’t think
he has an awareness of his actions without being told.” He said he left his
meeting with his client “more convinced” that Mr. Colletta was suffering from a
mental illness at the time of the shooting spree. “It confirms in my mind that
he was delusional and extremely, extremely paranoid. That fits in with his
diagnosis and contributed to his actions,” Mr. Greenberg said. He said that he
was not sure that Mr. Colletta would be fit for court proceedings and that he
expected to base his legal defense on the argument that Mr. Colletta was not
responsible for his actions by reason of mental disease or defect. Mr. Colletta
is to be arraigned on murder, assault and related charges at Bellevue or in
Queens Criminal Court but must undergo further testing to determine whether he
is competent to stand trial and to participate in his defense, Mr. Brown said.
The police have said that Mr. Colletta spent the week prior to the shooting
spree snorting cocaine and sleeping in his Cadillac. By the morning of August
25, he appeared testy and erratic to a couple he encountered outside his home.
The couple said they were parked outside his home about 6 a.m. after a night
out when Mr. Colletta, who was watering his hedges, sprayed their cream-colored
car. “I don’t like people parking in front of my house,” he told the couple,
Mr. Madrow said, and continued: “Do you think you have more money than me? Do
you think you’re richer than me?” About 13 hours later, the shooting spree
began. According to the authorities, Mr. Colletta was under the influence of
cocaine and alcohol during the shooting spree, which would have aggravated any
psychotic episode. It was unclear if he had been taking medication lately.
Subsequent History: Matthew Colletta, charged with a drive-by shooting spree in
Queens that left one man dead and at least four others injured, told the police
that he got his gun from Lucifer and that he was reacting to “red cars closing
in,” according to prosecutors at a bedside arraignment on August 29, 2006 at
Bellevue Hospital Center in Manhattan, where he was being held without bail.
Most of the targets were chosen because they were in red vehicles, the police
said. Colletta said he believed he was being threatened by the Bloods gang,
which is identified with the color red. Prosecutors said Colletta described to
police officers “red cars closing in” during the spree, said Marcus Franklin, a
reporter for The Associated Press who was selected to represent fellow
reporters at the arraignment. When arrested, Mr. Colletta gave police
investigators several versions of the events that seemed contradictory and
fantastical at times, prosecutors said. In one version, Mr. Colletta denied
involvement in the spree, telling police that he left his car in the valet
parking lot of a strip club and that “someone must have put the gun there;
that’s not mine.” But he also told police investigators he had been temporarily
living in his car and that he found the gun “in a container,” prosecutors said.
The police have said that Mr. Colletta spent last week snorting cocaine and
sleeping in his car, a Cadillac. Prosecutors said that Mr. Colletta possessed
some cocaine and five bags of angel dust, and that he said he had “borrowed the
gun from Lucifer.” State Supreme Court Judge Justice Fernando Camacho ordered
Mr. Colletta held without bail and be given a psychiatric exam to determine if
he is fit to stand trial. Todd D. Greenberg, a lawyer for Mr. Colletta, said
after the arraignment that his client had a long history of mental illness and
had been in and out of mental hospitals since he was 18. Mr. Colletta was
diagnosed as suffering from paranoid schizophrenia and manic depression,
Greenberg said. Greenberg said that he entered a plea of not guilty for Mr.
Colletta, and that the psychiatric exam would show that Mr. Colletta was
incompetent to stand trial because he did “not understand the nature of the
proceedings” and that he was “not responsible by reasons of mental disease and
defect.” Mr. Greenberg said his client’s mental illness pushed him into taking
drugs, which in turn “exacerbated his paranoia.” “When I spoke to him, I had to
tell him what happened,” Mr. Greenberg said. “When I told him a life was lost,
he was devastated.” Subsequent History: Matthew Colletta was indicted by a
grand jury on charges related to the Aug. 25 Queens shooting spree District
Attorney Richard Brown said on August 31, 2006. Brown, who was still presenting
his case to the grand jury, said once the indictment is filed in the next few
weeks the charges will be made public. Colletta was undergoing psychiatric
examinations ordered by a judge to determine his fitness to stand trial.
Subsequent History: On October 5, 2006, Matthew Colletta, 34, the suspect
authorities believe was behind a deadly six hour bullet barrage seven weeks ago
was arraigned during a brief court appearance. Standing before Judge Robert
Hanophy, Colletta listened to a grand jury’s 57 count indictment brought
against him after being transported to Kew Gardens Supreme Court from
Manhattan’s Bellevue Hospital Center. The indictment listed charges of, among
others, murder in the second degree, attempted murder, assault, criminal
possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a controlled substance.
Defense attorney Todd Greenberg entered a not guilty plea on behalf of his
client, who faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted. In court last week,
prosecutors added a 10th incident to the charges. Jeffrey Cuff, 39, of
Westport, Conn., was driving on the Van Wyck Expressway when Colletta fired
upon his black Audi. That incident undermines original reports that Colletta
fired only at red vehicles because he believed he was being pursued by the
Bloods street gang. Cuff was not injured. After his client’s arrest, Greenberg
maintained that Colletta suffered from serious mental disease and defect.
Colletta had been arrested a week earlier on assault charges stemming from a
domestic dispute with his girlfriend, and Greenberg reported that he was a
diagnosed schizophrenic. While reluctant to detail the specifics of the case he
plans to make to jurors, after the Thursday proceedings Greenberg reiterated
that his client’s mental capacity will play into his argument. Source: New
York Times, August 27, 28 & 30, 2006; New York Daily News, August 27 &
28, 2006; Newsday, August 27, 28 & 30, 2006; Gothamist, August 27, 2006;
Houston Chronicle (AP), August 26, 2006; Boston Herald, 8/29/06; Associated
Press, 9/1/06

Date: 8/2006

Location: Queens, Queens, NY

Summary: Matthew Colletta, 34 was charged with second-degree
murder, reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a weapon in connection
with a six-hour shooting spree that left one person dead, at least four injured,
and a trail of shattered glass and bullet-scarred vehicles across Queens. The
police said that Colletta has a history of mental illness. He is accused of
having driven his green 1992 Cadillac through Queens late on August 25 and
early on August 26, randomly firing at strangers while under the influence of
cocaine and alcohol, the authorities said. The police were still searching for
a motive. An official with knowledge of the investigation said Mr. Colletta may
have believed he was being threatened by the Bloods, a gang identified by its
red clothing, and that five of the seven vehicles fired on were red. The
shootings began about 7:30 p.m. on August 26 in Maspeth. Andrzej Leonik, 47,
was walking his dog near his house when a stranger pulled up in a car and shot
him in his right knee. At 8:10 p.m. in Long Island City, a gray livery cab was
fired at, the authorities said. Its windshield shattered, but the driver was
not hurt. Next Udai Klemnarine, 22, was shot in the left leg outside a Chinese
restaurant in Ozone Park, the authorities said. The Queens district attorney
said the shooting took place at 9 p.m., though the police said it was at 9:40
p.m. Later near Forest Park, a brother and sister, aged 22 and 25, were looking
for a parking space when bullets shattered the windshield of their yellow car,
the authorities said. They were not hurt, and their names were not released.
The shooting continued, and the gunman seemed to begin targeting red vehicles.
Just before 11 p.m., shots shattered the windows of a red minivan. Flying glass
wounded Ramsampy Veerepen, 23, in the right wrist, and Adesh Prolwah, 29, in
the left arm, the authorities said. Within a few minutes, Todd Upton, 51, was
shot on the Cross Island Expressway. Upton subsequently died at New York Hospital
Medical Center of Queens. Only minutes later, two shots were fired at the front
passenger door of another red minivan on the Whitestone Expressway. The
27-year-old driver was not hurt. Next, the police said, gunfire shattered the
windows of a red Toyota RAV4 in the Queensboro Hill area. The Queens district
attorney’s office said the 44-year-old driver was not hurt, but the police said
he was injured by flying glass. Finally, about 1:30 a.m., the last victim, an
off-duty police lieutenant, Arnaldo Alvarado of the 76th Precinct in Brooklyn,
was fired upon in Forest Hills, the police said. He, too, was driving a red
minivan. The district attorney’s office said he was hit, but not hurt, by
flying glass, though the police said he was, in fact, injured. By then, police
cars and helicopters were searching for the green Cadillac, and a patrol
officer spotted it around 1:40 a.m. near Forest Park, where Colletta was
arrested. He pulled his car over on a one-way street as police officers poured
from their cars and blocked him in, witnesses said. Law enforcement officials
said Colletta was taken to a Queens hospital after his arrest. Prior History:
Colletta was arrested a week prior to the incident on charges of menacing and
assault, after his girlfriend said he threatened her with a hammer, tried to
strangle her and dragged her across the floor. Since then Colletta had been
living in his car, the authorities said. A friend said Colletta had been taking
lithium to treat paranoid schizophrenia. Colletta shares a two-story house with
his father in Woodhaven. He and his girlfriend, Philomenia Zevlakis, 23, who
lived two doors down, often had raucous fights, neighbors said. John Perry, who
said he was Mr. Colletta’s best friend, said Ms. Zevlakis took out a restraining
order against Colletta after the assault. Colletta, who had been released from
jail without bail, was living in his car because his house was too close to
hers. Colletta also was arrested in 2000 on drug possession charges, the
district attorney’s office said, but the outcome of the case was not available.
Neighbors painted contrasting portraits of Mr. Colletta, who they said grew up
in the neighborhood. Margaret-Mary Hasselberg, 79, said he was a tough guy who
walked with a swagger, yet still shoveled snow from her sidewalk and drove her
to church during bad weather. Friends of Mr. Colletta who would not give their
names said he was quiet and hard working but distraught over his deteriorating
relationship with Ms. Zevlakis. Subsequent History: Todd Greenberg, the lawyer
for Matthew Colletta, hinted at an insanity defense as his client was taken to
a mental hospital. "His mental capacity is going to play a part in this
issue on whether he had the intent to commit these crimes," said
Greenberg. "From what I know of Matthew," said the lawyer, "this
is out of character for him." But a police source yesterday raised
questions about Colletta's penchant for violence, saying the 34-year-old
diagnosed schizophrenic should have never been released without bail after allegedly
assaulting his girlfriend on Aug. 20. "It wasn't like it was his first
time in trouble," the source said of Colletta, who has a past drug
conviction. Prosecutors said yesterday they requested $1,000 bail in the
assault case. They noted the Queens man had no prior convictions for violent
crimes. Colletta's arraignment was postponed as he was sent to a psychiatric
facility, officials said. Greenberg said Colletta had been in and out of mental
hospitals for years, including a stint at Queens' Creedmoor Psychiatric Center.
"He's going to be held responsible either being confined to a psychiatric
institution or being confined to a prison cell," said Queens District
Attorney Richard Brown. The spree's first victim, Andrzej Leonik, 46, told the Daily
News yesterday he was wearing a red shirt when he was shot while walking his
dog in Maspeth on Friday night. Colletta told cops he fired at Leonik because
he thought the "devil dog" was about to attack a baby, a police
source said. Leonik said a neighbor was petting Sonya, his harmless Boston
terrier. "This guy must have been on drugs or sick or something,"
Leonik said. Subsequent History: Matthew Colletta, 34, the suspect in a weekend
shooting spree in Queens that killed one man and injured five was pulled out of
the jailhouse booking system for psychiatric evaluation at Bellevue Hospital
Center, and the suspect’s lawyer said that he expected to base the man’s
defense on his mental condition. Colletta was under observation at the
hospital, where he was taken after becoming disruptive while in custody on
Saturday night, said Richard A. Brown, the Queens district attorney.
Prosecutors added weapons and drug charges to the counts against Mr. Colletta
after the police found a second loaded gun in his 1992 Cadillac and cocaine in
his pants pocket, Mr. Brown said. Mr. Colletta had already been charged with
second-degree murder, reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a
weapon. Mr. Colletta’s lawyer, Todd D. Greenberg, said his client had been
hospitalized in the past and had been given a diagnosis of paranoid
schizophrenia. Mr. Greenberg said that “He has been told what happened. He
feels terrible about it. He says he would never hurt anybody. But I don’t think
he has an awareness of his actions without being told.” He said he left his
meeting with his client “more convinced” that Mr. Colletta was suffering from a
mental illness at the time of the shooting spree. “It confirms in my mind that
he was delusional and extremely, extremely paranoid. That fits in with his
diagnosis and contributed to his actions,” Mr. Greenberg said. He said that he
was not sure that Mr. Colletta would be fit for court proceedings and that he
expected to base his legal defense on the argument that Mr. Colletta was not
responsible for his actions by reason of mental disease or defect. Mr. Colletta
is to be arraigned on murder, assault and related charges at Bellevue or in
Queens Criminal Court but must undergo further testing to determine whether he
is competent to stand trial and to participate in his defense, Mr. Brown said.
The police have said that Mr. Colletta spent the week prior to the shooting
spree snorting cocaine and sleeping in his Cadillac. By the morning of August
25, he appeared testy and erratic to a couple he encountered outside his home.
The couple said they were parked outside his home about 6 a.m. after a night
out when Mr. Colletta, who was watering his hedges, sprayed their cream-colored
car. “I don’t like people parking in front of my house,” he told the couple,
Mr. Madrow said, and continued: “Do you think you have more money than me? Do
you think you’re richer than me?” About 13 hours later, the shooting spree
began. According to the authorities, Mr. Colletta was under the influence of
cocaine and alcohol during the shooting spree, which would have aggravated any
psychotic episode. It was unclear if he had been taking medication lately.
Subsequent History: Matthew Colletta, charged with a drive-by shooting spree in
Queens that left one man dead and at least four others injured, told the police
that he got his gun from Lucifer and that he was reacting to “red cars closing
in,” according to prosecutors at a bedside arraignment on August 29, 2006 at
Bellevue Hospital Center in Manhattan, where he was being held without bail.
Most of the targets were chosen because they were in red vehicles, the police
said. Colletta said he believed he was being threatened by the Bloods gang,
which is identified with the color red. Prosecutors said Colletta described to
police officers “red cars closing in” during the spree, said Marcus Franklin, a
reporter for The Associated Press who was selected to represent fellow
reporters at the arraignment. When arrested, Mr. Colletta gave police
investigators several versions of the events that seemed contradictory and
fantastical at times, prosecutors said. In one version, Mr. Colletta denied
involvement in the spree, telling police that he left his car in the valet
parking lot of a strip club and that “someone must have put the gun there;
that’s not mine.” But he also told police investigators he had been temporarily
living in his car and that he found the gun “in a container,” prosecutors said.
The police have said that Mr. Colletta spent last week snorting cocaine and
sleeping in his car, a Cadillac. Prosecutors said that Mr. Colletta possessed
some cocaine and five bags of angel dust, and that he said he had “borrowed the
gun from Lucifer.” State Supreme Court Judge Justice Fernando Camacho ordered
Mr. Colletta held without bail and be given a psychiatric exam to determine if
he is fit to stand trial. Todd D. Greenberg, a lawyer for Mr. Colletta, said
after the arraignment that his client had a long history of mental illness and
had been in and out of mental hospitals since he was 18. Mr. Colletta was
diagnosed as suffering from paranoid schizophrenia and manic depression,
Greenberg said. Greenberg said that he entered a plea of not guilty for Mr.
Colletta, and that the psychiatric exam would show that Mr. Colletta was
incompetent to stand trial because he did “not understand the nature of the
proceedings” and that he was “not responsible by reasons of mental disease and
defect.” Mr. Greenberg said his client’s mental illness pushed him into taking
drugs, which in turn “exacerbated his paranoia.” “When I spoke to him, I had to
tell him what happened,” Mr. Greenberg said. “When I told him a life was lost,
he was devastated.” Subsequent History: Matthew Colletta was indicted by a
grand jury on charges related to the Aug. 25 Queens shooting spree District Attorney
Richard Brown said on August 31, 2006. Brown, who was still presenting his case
to the grand jury, said once the indictment is filed in the next few weeks the
charges will be made public. Colletta was undergoing psychiatric examinations
ordered by a judge to determine his fitness to stand trial. Subsequent History:
On October 5, 2006, Matthew Colletta, 34, the suspect authorities believe was
behind a deadly six hour bullet barrage seven weeks ago was arraigned during a
brief court appearance. Standing before Judge Robert Hanophy, Colletta listened
to a grand jury’s 57 count indictment brought against him after being
transported to Kew Gardens Supreme Court from Manhattan’s Bellevue Hospital
Center. The indictment listed charges of, among others, murder in the second
degree, attempted murder, assault, criminal possession of a weapon and criminal
possession of a controlled substance. Defense attorney Todd Greenberg entered a
not guilty plea on behalf of his client, who faces 25 years to life in prison if
convicted. In court last week, prosecutors added a 10th incident to the
charges. Jeffrey Cuff, 39, of Westport, Conn., was driving on the Van Wyck
Expressway when Colletta fired upon his black Audi. That incident undermines
original reports that Colletta fired only at red vehicles because he believed
he was being pursued by the Bloods street gang. Cuff was not injured. After his
client’s arrest, Greenberg maintained that Colletta suffered from serious
mental disease and defect. Colletta had been arrested a week earlier on assault
charges stemming from a domestic dispute with his girlfriend, and Greenberg
reported that he was a diagnosed schizophrenic. While reluctant to detail the
specifics of the case he plans to make to jurors, after the Thursday proceedings
Greenberg reiterated that his client’s mental capacity will play into his
argument. Source: New York Times, August 27, 28 & 30, 2006; New York Daily
News, August 27 & 28, 2006; Newsday, August 27, 28 & 30, 2006;
Gothamist, August 27, 2006; Houston Chronicle (AP), August 26, 2006; Boston
Herald, 8/29/06; Associated Press, 9/1/06

Date: 8/2006

Location: Queens, Queens, NY

Summary: Matthew Colletta, 34 was charged with second-degree
murder, reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a weapon in connection
with a six-hour shooting spree that left one person dead, at least four
injured, and a trail of shattered glass and bullet-scarred vehicles across
Queens. The police said that Colletta has a history of mental illness. He is
accused of having driven his green 1992 Cadillac through Queens late on August
25 and early on August 26, randomly firing at strangers while under the
influence of cocaine and alcohol, the authorities said. The police were still
searching for a motive. An official with knowledge of the investigation said
Mr. Colletta may have believed he was being threatened by the Bloods, a gang
identified by its red clothing, and that five of the seven vehicles fired on
were red. The shootings began about 7:30 p.m. on August 26 in Maspeth. Andrzej
Leonik, 47, was walking his dog near his house when a stranger pulled up in a
car and shot him in his right knee. At 8:10 p.m. in Long Island City, a gray
livery cab was fired at, the authorities said. Its windshield shattered, but
the driver was not hurt. Next Udai Klemnarine, 22, was shot in the left leg
outside a Chinese restaurant in Ozone Park, the authorities said. The Queens
district attorney said the shooting took place at 9 p.m., though the police
said it was at 9:40 p.m. Later near Forest Park, a brother and sister, aged 22
and 25, were looking for a parking space when bullets shattered the windshield
of their yellow car, the authorities said. They were not hurt, and their names
were not released. The shooting continued, and the gunman seemed to begin
targeting red vehicles. Just before 11 p.m., shots shattered the windows of a
red minivan. Flying glass wounded Ramsampy Veerepen, 23, in the right wrist,
and Adesh Prolwah, 29, in the left arm, the authorities said. Within a few
minutes, Todd Upton, 51, was shot on the Cross Island Expressway. Upton
subsequently died at New York Hospital Medical Center of Queens. Only minutes
later, two shots were fired at the front passenger door of another red minivan
on the Whitestone Expressway. The 27-year-old driver was not hurt. Next, the
police said, gunfire shattered the windows of a red Toyota RAV4 in the
Queensboro Hill area. The Queens district attorney’s office said the
44-year-old driver was not hurt, but the police said he was injured by flying
glass. Finally, about 1:30 a.m., the last victim, an off-duty police
lieutenant, Arnaldo Alvarado of the 76th Precinct in Brooklyn, was fired upon
in Forest Hills, the police said. He, too, was driving a red minivan. The
district attorney’s office said he was hit, but not hurt, by flying glass,
though the police said he was, in fact, injured. By then, police cars and
helicopters were searching for the green Cadillac, and a patrol officer spotted
it around 1:40 a.m. near Forest Park, where Colletta was arrested. He pulled
his car over on a one-way street as police officers poured from their cars and
blocked him in, witnesses said. Law enforcement officials said Colletta was
taken to a Queens hospital after his arrest. Prior History: Colletta was
arrested a week prior to the incident on charges of menacing and assault, after
his girlfriend said he threatened her with a hammer, tried to strangle her and
dragged her across the floor. Since then Colletta had been living in his car,
the authorities said. A friend said Colletta had been taking lithium to treat
paranoid schizophrenia. Colletta shares a two-story house with his father in
Woodhaven. He and his girlfriend, Philomenia Zevlakis, 23, who lived two doors
down, often had raucous fights, neighbors said. John Perry, who said he was Mr.
Colletta’s best friend, said Ms. Zevlakis took out a restraining order against
Colletta after the assault. Colletta, who had been released from jail without
bail, was living in his car because his house was too close to hers. Colletta also
was arrested in 2000 on drug possession charges, the district attorney’s office
said, but the outcome of the case was not available. Neighbors painted
contrasting portraits of Mr. Colletta, who they said grew up in the
neighborhood. Margaret-Mary Hasselberg, 79, said he was a tough guy who walked
with a swagger, yet still shoveled snow from her sidewalk and drove her to
church during bad weather. Friends of Mr. Colletta who would not give their
names said he was quiet and hard working but distraught over his deteriorating
relationship with Ms. Zevlakis. Subsequent History: Todd Greenberg, the lawyer
for Matthew Colletta, hinted at an insanity defense as his client was taken to
a mental hospital. "His mental capacity is going to play a part in this
issue on whether he had the intent to commit these crimes," said
Greenberg. "From what I know of Matthew," said the lawyer, "this
is out of character for him." But a police source yesterday raised
questions about Colletta's penchant for violence, saying the 34-year-old
diagnosed schizophrenic should have never been released without bail after
allegedly assaulting his girlfriend on Aug. 20. "It wasn't like it was his
first time in trouble," the source said of Colletta, who has a past drug
conviction. Prosecutors said yesterday they requested $1,000 bail in the
assault case. They noted the Queens man had no prior convictions for violent
crimes. Colletta's arraignment was postponed as he was sent to a psychiatric
facility, officials said. Greenberg said Colletta had been in and out of mental
hospitals for years, including a stint at Queens' Creedmoor Psychiatric Center.
"He's going to be held responsible either being confined to a psychiatric
institution or being confined to a prison cell," said Queens District
Attorney Richard Brown. The spree's first victim, Andrzej Leonik, 46, told the
Daily News yesterday he was wearing a red shirt when he was shot while walking
his dog in Maspeth on Friday night. Colletta told cops he fired at Leonik
because he thought the "devil dog" was about to attack a baby, a
police source said. Leonik said a neighbor was petting Sonya, his harmless
Boston terrier. "This guy must have been on drugs or sick or
something," Leonik said. Subsequent History: Matthew Colletta, 34, the
suspect in a weekend shooting spree in Queens that killed one man and injured
five was pulled out of the jailhouse booking system for psychiatric evaluation
at Bellevue Hospital Center, and the suspect’s lawyer said that he expected to
base the man’s defense on his mental condition. Colletta was under observation
at the hospital, where he was taken after becoming disruptive while in custody
on Saturday night, said Richard A. Brown, the Queens district attorney.
Prosecutors added weapons and drug charges to the counts against Mr. Colletta
after the police found a second loaded gun in his 1992 Cadillac and cocaine in
his pants pocket, Mr. Brown said. Mr. Colletta had already been charged with
second-degree murder, reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a
weapon. Mr. Colletta’s lawyer, Todd D. Greenberg, said his client had been
hospitalized in the past and had been given a diagnosis of paranoid
schizophrenia. Mr. Greenberg said that “He has been told what happened. He
feels terrible about it. He says he would never hurt anybody. But I don’t think
he has an awareness of his actions without being told.” He said he left his
meeting with his client “more convinced” that Mr. Colletta was suffering from a
mental illness at the time of the shooting spree. “It confirms in my mind that
he was delusional and extremely, extremely paranoid. That fits in with his
diagnosis and contributed to his actions,” Mr. Greenberg said. He said that he
was not sure that Mr. Colletta would be fit for court proceedings and that he
expected to base his legal defense on the argument that Mr. Colletta was not
responsible for his actions by reason of mental disease or defect. Mr. Colletta
is to be arraigned on murder, assault and related charges at Bellevue or in
Queens Criminal Court but must undergo further testing to determine whether he
is competent to stand trial and to participate in his defense, Mr. Brown said.
The police have said that Mr. Colletta spent the week prior to the shooting
spree snorting cocaine and sleeping in his Cadillac. By the morning of August
25, he appeared testy and erratic to a couple he encountered outside his home.
The couple said they were parked outside his home about 6 a.m. after a night
out when Mr. Colletta, who was watering his hedges, sprayed their cream-colored
car. “I don’t like people parking in front of my house,” he told the couple,
Mr. Madrow said, and continued: “Do you think you have more money than me? Do
you think you’re richer than me?” About 13 hours later, the shooting spree
began. According to the authorities, Mr. Colletta was under the influence of
cocaine and alcohol during the shooting spree, which would have aggravated any
psychotic episode. It was unclear if he had been taking medication lately.
Subsequent History: Matthew Colletta, charged with a drive-by shooting spree in
Queens that left one man dead and at least four others injured, told the police
that he got his gun from Lucifer and that he was reacting to “red cars closing
in,” according to prosecutors at a bedside arraignment on August 29, 2006 at
Bellevue Hospital Center in Manhattan, where he was being held without bail.
Most of the targets were chosen because they were in red vehicles, the police
said. Colletta said he believed he was being threatened by the Bloods gang,
which is identified with the color red. Prosecutors said Colletta described to
police officers “red cars closing in” during the spree, said Marcus Franklin, a
reporter for The Associated Press who was selected to represent fellow
reporters at the arraignment. When arrested, Mr. Colletta gave police
investigators several versions of the events that seemed contradictory and
fantastical at times, prosecutors said. In one version, Mr. Colletta denied
involvement in the spree, telling police that he left his car in the valet parking
lot of a strip club and that “someone must have put the gun there; that’s not
mine.” But he also told police investigators he had been temporarily living in
his car and that he found the gun “in a container,” prosecutors said. The
police have said that Mr. Colletta spent last week snorting cocaine and
sleeping in his car, a Cadillac. Prosecutors said that Mr. Colletta possessed
some cocaine and five bags of angel dust, and that he said he had “borrowed the
gun from Lucifer.” State Supreme Court Judge Justice Fernando Camacho ordered
Mr. Colletta held without bail and be given a psychiatric exam to determine if
he is fit to stand trial. Todd D. Greenberg, a lawyer for Mr. Colletta, said
after the arraignment that his client had a long history of mental illness and
had been in and out of mental hospitals since he was 18. Mr. Colletta was
diagnosed as suffering from paranoid schizophrenia and manic depression,
Greenberg said. Greenberg said that he entered a plea of not guilty for Mr.
Colletta, and that the psychiatric exam would show that Mr. Colletta was
incompetent to stand trial because he did “not understand the nature of the
proceedings” and that he was “not responsible by reasons of mental disease and
defect.” Mr. Greenberg said his client’s mental illness pushed him into taking
drugs, which in turn “exacerbated his paranoia.” “When I spoke to him, I had to
tell him what happened,” Mr. Greenberg said. “When I told him a life was lost,
he was devastated.” Subsequent History: Matthew Colletta was indicted by a
grand jury on charges related to the Aug. 25 Queens shooting spree District
Attorney Richard Brown said on August 31, 2006. Brown, who was still presenting
his case to the grand jury, said once the indictment is filed in the next few
weeks the charges will be made public. Colletta was undergoing psychiatric
examinations ordered by a judge to determine his fitness to stand trial.
Subsequent History: On October 5, 2006, Matthew Colletta, 34, the suspect
authorities believe was behind a deadly six hour bullet barrage seven weeks ago
was arraigned during a brief court appearance. Standing before Judge Robert
Hanophy, Colletta listened to a grand jury’s 57 count indictment brought
against him after being transported to Kew Gardens Supreme Court from Manhattan’s
Bellevue Hospital Center. The indictment listed charges of, among others,
murder in the second degree, attempted murder, assault, criminal possession of
a weapon and criminal possession of a controlled substance. Defense attorney
Todd Greenberg entered a not guilty plea on behalf of his client, who faces 25
years to life in prison if convicted. In court last week, prosecutors added a
10th incident to the charges. Jeffrey Cuff, 39, of Westport, Conn., was driving
on the Van Wyck Expressway when Colletta fired upon his black Audi. That
incident undermines original reports that Colletta fired only at red vehicles
because he believed he was being pursued by the Bloods street gang. Cuff was
not injured. After his client’s arrest, Greenberg maintained that Colletta
suffered from serious mental disease and defect. Colletta had been arrested a
week earlier on assault charges stemming from a domestic dispute with his
girlfriend, and Greenberg reported that he was a diagnosed schizophrenic. While
reluctant to detail the specifics of the case he plans to make to jurors, after
the Thursday proceedings Greenberg reiterated that his client’s mental capacity
will play into his argument. Source: New York Times, August 27, 28 & 30,
2006; New York Daily News, August 27 & 28, 2006; Newsday, August 27, 28
& 30, 2006; Gothamist, August 27, 2006; Houston Chronicle (AP), August 26,
2006; Boston Herald, 8/29/06; Associated Press, 9/1/06

Date: 8/2006

Location: Queens, Queens, NY

Summary: Matthew Colletta, 34 was charged with second-degree
murder, reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a weapon in connection
with a six-hour shooting spree that left one person dead, at least four
injured, and a trail of shattered glass and bullet-scarred vehicles across
Queens. The police said that Colletta has a history of mental illness. He is
accused of having driven his green 1992 Cadillac through Queens late on August
25 and early on August 26, randomly firing at strangers while under the
influence of cocaine and alcohol, the authorities said. The police were still
searching for a motive. An official with knowledge of the investigation said
Mr. Colletta may have believed he was being threatened by the Bloods, a gang
identified by its red clothing, and that five of the seven vehicles fired on
were red. The shootings began about 7:30 p.m. on August 26 in Maspeth. Andrzej
Leonik, 47, was walking his dog near his house when a stranger pulled up in a
car and shot him in his right knee. At 8:10 p.m. in Long Island City, a gray
livery cab was fired at, the authorities said. Its windshield shattered, but
the driver was not hurt. Next Udai Klemnarine, 22, was shot in the left leg
outside a Chinese restaurant in Ozone Park, the authorities said. The Queens
district attorney said the shooting took place at 9 p.m., though the police
said it was at 9:40 p.m. Later near Forest Park, a brother and sister, aged 22
and 25, were looking for a parking space when bullets shattered the windshield
of their yellow car, the authorities said. They were not hurt, and their names
were not released. The shooting continued, and the gunman seemed to begin
targeting red vehicles. Just before 11 p.m., shots shattered the windows of a
red minivan. Flying glass wounded Ramsampy Veerepen, 23, in the right wrist,
and Adesh Prolwah, 29, in the left arm, the authorities said. Within a few
minutes, Todd Upton, 51, was shot on the Cross Island Expressway. Upton
subsequently died at New York Hospital Medical Center of Queens. Only minutes
later, two shots were fired at the front passenger door of another red minivan
on the Whitestone Expressway. The 27-year-old driver was not hurt. Next, the
police said, gunfire shattered the windows of a red Toyota RAV4 in the
Queensboro Hill area. The Queens district attorney’s office said the
44-year-old driver was not hurt, but the police said he was injured by flying
glass. Finally, about 1:30 a.m., the last victim, an off-duty police
lieutenant, Arnaldo Alvarado of the 76th Precinct in Brooklyn, was fired upon
in Forest Hills, the police said. He, too, was driving a red minivan. The
district attorney’s office said he was hit, but not hurt, by flying glass,
though the police said he was, in fact, injured. By then, police cars and
helicopters were searching for the green Cadillac, and a patrol officer spotted
it around 1:40 a.m. near Forest Park, where Colletta was arrested. He pulled
his car over on a one-way street as police officers poured from their cars and
blocked him in, witnesses said. Law enforcement officials said Colletta was
taken to a Queens hospital after his arrest. Prior History: Colletta was
arrested a week prior to the incident on charges of menacing and assault, after
his girlfriend said he threatened her with a hammer, tried to strangle her and
dragged her across the floor. Since then Colletta had been living in his car,
the authorities said. A friend said Colletta had been taking lithium to treat
paranoid schizophrenia. Colletta shares a two-story house with his father in
Woodhaven. He and his girlfriend, Philomenia Zevlakis, 23, who lived two doors
down, often had raucous fights, neighbors said. John Perry, who said he was Mr.
Colletta’s best friend, said Ms. Zevlakis took out a restraining order against
Colletta after the assault. Colletta, who had been released from jail without
bail, was living in his car because his house was too close to hers. Colletta
also was arrested in 2000 on drug possession charges, the district attorney’s
office said, but the outcome of the case was not available. Neighbors painted
contrasting portraits of Mr. Colletta, who they said grew up in the
neighborhood. Margaret-Mary Hasselberg, 79, said he was a tough guy who walked
with a swagger, yet still shoveled snow from her sidewalk and drove her to
church during bad weather. Friends of Mr. Colletta who would not give their
names said he was quiet and hard working but distraught over his deteriorating
relationship with Ms. Zevlakis. Subsequent History: Todd Greenberg, the lawyer
for Matthew Colletta, hinted at an insanity defense as his client was taken to
a mental hospital. "His mental capacity is going to play a part in this
issue on whether he had the intent to commit these crimes," said
Greenberg. "From what I know of Matthew," said the lawyer, "this
is out of character for him." But a police source yesterday raised
questions about Colletta's penchant for violence, saying the 34-year-old
diagnosed schizophrenic should have never been released without bail after
allegedly assaulting his girlfriend on Aug. 20. "It wasn't like it was his
first time in trouble," the source said of Colletta, who has a past drug
conviction. Prosecutors said yesterday they requested $1,000 bail in the
assault case. They noted the Queens man had no prior convictions for violent
crimes. Colletta's arraignment was postponed as he was sent to a psychiatric
facility, officials said. Greenberg said Colletta had been in and out of mental
hospitals for years, including a stint at Queens' Creedmoor Psychiatric Center.
"He's going to be held responsible either being confined to a psychiatric
institution or being confined to a prison cell," said Queens District
Attorney Richard Brown. The spree's first victim, Andrzej Leonik, 46, told the
Daily News yesterday he was wearing a red shirt when he was shot while walking
his dog in Maspeth on Friday night. Colletta told cops he fired at Leonik
because he thought the "devil dog" was about to attack a baby, a
police source said. Leonik said a neighbor was petting Sonya, his harmless
Boston terrier. "This guy must have been on drugs or sick or something,"
Leonik said. Subsequent History: Matthew Colletta, 34, the suspect in a weekend
shooting spree in Queens that killed one man and injured five was pulled out of
the jailhouse booking system for psychiatric evaluation at Bellevue Hospital Center,
and the suspect’s lawyer said that he expected to base the man’s defense on his
mental condition. Colletta was under observation at the hospital, where he was
taken after becoming disruptive while in custody on Saturday night, said
Richard A. Brown, the Queens district attorney. Prosecutors added weapons and
drug charges to the counts against Mr. Colletta after the police found a second
loaded gun in his 1992 Cadillac and cocaine in his pants pocket, Mr. Brown
said. Mr. Colletta had already been charged with second-degree murder, reckless
endangerment and criminal possession of a weapon. Mr. Colletta’s lawyer, Todd
D. Greenberg, said his client had been hospitalized in the past and had been
given a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia. Mr. Greenberg said that “He has
been told what happened. He feels terrible about it. He says he would never
hurt anybody. But I don’t think he has an awareness of his actions without
being told.” He said he left his meeting with his client “more convinced” that
Mr. Colletta was suffering from a mental illness at the time of the shooting
spree. “It confirms in my mind that he was delusional and extremely, extremely
paranoid. That fits in with his diagnosis and contributed to his actions,” Mr.
Greenberg said. He said that he was not sure that Mr. Colletta would be fit for
court proceedings and that he expected to base his legal defense on the
argument that Mr. Colletta was not responsible for his actions by reason of
mental disease or defect. Mr. Colletta is to be arraigned on murder, assault
and related charges at Bellevue or in Queens Criminal Court but must undergo
further testing to determine whether he is competent to stand trial and to
participate in his defense, Mr. Brown said. The police have said that Mr.
Colletta spent the week prior to the shooting spree snorting cocaine and
sleeping in his Cadillac. By the morning of August 25, he appeared testy and
erratic to a couple he encountered outside his home. The couple said they were
parked outside his home about 6 a.m. after a night out when Mr. Colletta, who
was watering his hedges, sprayed their cream-colored car. “I don’t like people
parking in front of my house,” he told the couple, Mr. Madrow said, and
continued: “Do you think you have more money than me? Do you think you’re
richer than me?” About 13 hours later, the shooting spree began. According to
the authorities, Mr. Colletta was under the influence of cocaine and alcohol
during the shooting spree, which would have aggravated any psychotic episode.
It was unclear if he had been taking medication lately. Subsequent History:
Matthew Colletta, charged with a drive-by shooting spree in Queens that left
one man dead and at least four others injured, told the police that he got his
gun from Lucifer and that he was reacting to “red cars closing in,” according
to prosecutors at a bedside arraignment on August 29, 2006 at Bellevue Hospital
Center in Manhattan, where he was being held without bail. Most of the targets
were chosen because they were in red vehicles, the police said. Colletta said
he believed he was being threatened by the Bloods gang, which is identified
with the color red. Prosecutors said Colletta described to police officers “red
cars closing in” during the spree, said Marcus Franklin, a reporter for The
Associated Press who was selected to represent fellow reporters at the
arraignment. When arrested, Mr. Colletta gave police investigators several
versions of the events that seemed contradictory and fantastical at times,
prosecutors said. In one version, Mr. Colletta denied involvement in the spree,
telling police that he left his car in the valet parking lot of a strip club
and that “someone must have put the gun there; that’s not mine.” But he also
told police investigators he had been temporarily living in his car and that he
found the gun “in a container,” prosecutors said. The police have said that Mr.
Colletta spent last week snorting cocaine and sleeping in his car, a Cadillac.
Prosecutors said that Mr. Colletta possessed some cocaine and five bags of
angel dust, and that he said he had “borrowed the gun from Lucifer.” State
Supreme Court Judge Justice Fernando Camacho ordered Mr. Colletta held without
bail and be given a psychiatric exam to determine if he is fit to stand trial.
Todd D. Greenberg, a lawyer for Mr. Colletta, said after the arraignment that
his client had a long history of mental illness and had been in and out of
mental hospitals since he was 18. Mr. Colletta was diagnosed as suffering from
paranoid schizophrenia and manic depression, Greenberg said. Greenberg said
that he entered a plea of not guilty for Mr. Colletta, and that the psychiatric
exam would show that Mr. Colletta was incompetent to stand trial because he did
“not understand the nature of the proceedings” and that he was “not responsible
by reasons of mental disease and defect.” Mr. Greenberg said his client’s
mental illness pushed him into taking drugs, which in turn “exacerbated his
paranoia.” “When I spoke to him, I had to tell him what happened,” Mr.
Greenberg said. “When I told him a life was lost, he was devastated.”
Subsequent History: Matthew Colletta was indicted by a grand jury on charges
related to the Aug. 25 Queens shooting spree District Attorney Richard Brown
said on August 31, 2006. Brown, who was still presenting his case to the grand
jury, said once the indictment is filed in the next few weeks the charges will
be made public. Colletta was undergoing psychiatric examinations ordered by a
judge to determine his fitness to stand trial. Subsequent History: On October
5, 2006, Matthew Colletta, 34, the suspect authorities believe was behind a
deadly six hour bullet barrage seven weeks ago was arraigned during a brief
court appearance. Standing before Judge Robert Hanophy, Colletta listened to a
grand jury’s 57 count indictment brought against him after being transported to
Kew Gardens Supreme Court from Manhattan’s Bellevue Hospital Center. The
indictment listed charges of, among others, murder in the second degree,
attempted murder, assault, criminal possession of a weapon and criminal
possession of a controlled substance. Defense attorney Todd Greenberg entered a
not guilty plea on behalf of his client, who faces 25 years to life in prison
if convicted. In court last week, prosecutors added a 10th incident to the
charges. Jeffrey Cuff, 39, of Westport, Conn., was driving on the Van Wyck
Expressway when Colletta fired upon his black Audi. That incident undermines
original reports that Colletta fired only at red vehicles because he believed
he was being pursued by the Bloods street gang. Cuff was not injured. After his
client’s arrest, Greenberg maintained that Colletta suffered from serious
mental disease and defect. Colletta had been arrested a week earlier on assault
charges stemming from a domestic dispute with his girlfriend, and Greenberg
reported that he was a diagnosed schizophrenic. While reluctant to detail the
specifics of the case he plans to make to jurors, after the Thursday
proceedings Greenberg reiterated that his client’s mental capacity will play
into his argument. Source: New York Times, August 27, 28 & 30, 2006; New
York Daily News, August 27 & 28, 2006; Newsday, August 27, 28 & 30,
2006; Gothamist, August 27, 2006; Houston Chronicle (AP), August 26, 2006;
Boston Herald, 8/29/06; Associated Press, 9/1/06

Date: 8/2006

Location: Queens, Queens, NY

Summary: Matthew Colletta, 34 was charged with second-degree
murder, reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a weapon in connection
with a six-hour shooting spree that left one person dead, at least four injured,
and a trail of shattered glass and bullet-scarred vehicles across Queens. The
police said that Colletta has a history of mental illness. He is accused of
having driven his green 1992 Cadillac through Queens late on August 25 and
early on August 26, randomly firing at strangers while under the influence of
cocaine and alcohol, the authorities said. The police were still searching for
a motive. An official with knowledge of the investigation said Mr. Colletta may
have believed he was being threatened by the Bloods, a gang identified by its
red clothing, and that five of the seven vehicles fired on were red. The
shootings began about 7:30 p.m. on August 26 in Maspeth. Andrzej Leonik, 47,
was walking his dog near his house when a stranger pulled up in a car and shot
him in his right knee. At 8:10 p.m. in Long Island City, a gray livery cab was
fired at, the authorities said. Its windshield shattered, but the driver was
not hurt. Next Udai Klemnarine, 22, was shot in the left leg outside a Chinese
restaurant in Ozone Park, the authorities said. The Queens district attorney
said the shooting took place at 9 p.m., though the police said it was at 9:40
p.m. Later near Forest Park, a brother and sister, aged 22 and 25, were looking
for a parking space when bullets shattered the windshield of their yellow car,
the authorities said. They were not hurt, and their names were not released.
The shooting continued, and the gunman seemed to begin targeting red vehicles.
Just before 11 p.m., shots shattered the windows of a red minivan. Flying glass
wounded Ramsampy Veerepen, 23, in the right wrist, and Adesh Prolwah, 29, in
the left arm, the authorities said. Within a few minutes, Todd Upton, 51, was
shot on the Cross Island Expressway. Upton subsequently died at New York Hospital
Medical Center of Queens. Only minutes later, two shots were fired at the front
passenger door of another red minivan on the Whitestone Expressway. The
27-year-old driver was not hurt. Next, the police said, gunfire shattered the
windows of a red Toyota RAV4 in the Queensboro Hill area. The Queens district
attorney’s office said the 44-year-old driver was not hurt, but the police said
he was injured by flying glass. Finally, about 1:30 a.m., the last victim, an
off-duty police lieutenant, Arnaldo Alvarado of the 76th Precinct in Brooklyn,
was fired upon in Forest Hills, the police said. He, too, was driving a red
minivan. The district attorney’s office said he was hit, but not hurt, by
flying glass, though the police said he was, in fact, injured. By then, police
cars and helicopters were searching for the green Cadillac, and a patrol
officer spotted it around 1:40 a.m. near Forest Park, where Colletta was
arrested. He pulled his car over on a one-way street as police officers poured
from their cars and blocked him in, witnesses said. Law enforcement officials
said Colletta was taken to a Queens hospital after his arrest. Prior History:
Colletta was arrested a week prior to the incident on charges of menacing and
assault, after his girlfriend said he threatened her with a hammer, tried to
strangle her and dragged her across the floor. Since then Colletta had been
living in his car, the authorities said. A friend said Colletta had been taking
lithium to treat paranoid schizophrenia. Colletta shares a two-story house with
his father in Woodhaven. He and his girlfriend, Philomenia Zevlakis, 23, who
lived two doors down, often had raucous fights, neighbors said. John Perry, who
said he was Mr. Colletta’s best friend, said Ms. Zevlakis took out a
restraining order against Colletta after the assault. Colletta, who had been
released from jail without bail, was living in his car because his house was
too close to hers. Colletta also was arrested in 2000 on drug possession
charges, the district attorney’s office said, but the outcome of the case was
not available. Neighbors painted contrasting portraits of Mr. Colletta, who
they said grew up in the neighborhood. Margaret-Mary Hasselberg, 79, said he
was a tough guy who walked with a swagger, yet still shoveled snow from her
sidewalk and drove her to church during bad weather. Friends of Mr. Colletta
who would not give their names said he was quiet and hard working but
distraught over his deteriorating relationship with Ms. Zevlakis. Subsequent
History: Todd Greenberg, the lawyer for Matthew Colletta, hinted at an insanity
defense as his client was taken to a mental hospital. "His mental capacity
is going to play a part in this issue on whether he had the intent to commit
these crimes," said Greenberg. "From what I know of Matthew,"
said the lawyer, "this is out of character for him." But a police
source yesterday raised questions about Colletta's penchant for violence,
saying the 34-year-old diagnosed schizophrenic should have never been released
without bail after allegedly assaulting his girlfriend on Aug. 20. "It
wasn't like it was his first time in trouble," the source said of
Colletta, who has a past drug conviction. Prosecutors said yesterday they
requested $1,000 bail in the assault case. They noted the Queens man had no
prior convictions for violent crimes. Colletta's arraignment was postponed as
he was sent to a psychiatric facility, officials said. Greenberg said Colletta
had been in and out of mental hospitals for years, including a stint at Queens'
Creedmoor Psychiatric Center. "He's going to be held responsible either
being confined to a psychiatric institution or being confined to a prison
cell," said Queens District Attorney Richard Brown. The spree's first
victim, Andrzej Leonik, 46, told the Daily News yesterday he was wearing a red
shirt when he was shot while walking his dog in Maspeth on Friday night.
Colletta told cops he fired at Leonik because he thought the "devil
dog" was about to attack a baby, a police source said. Leonik said a neighbor
was petting Sonya, his harmless Boston terrier. "This guy must have been
on drugs or sick or something," Leonik said. Subsequent History: Matthew
Colletta, 34, the suspect in a weekend shooting spree in Queens that killed one
man and injured five was pulled out of the jailhouse booking system for
psychiatric evaluation at Bellevue Hospital Center, and the suspect’s lawyer
said that he expected to base the man’s defense on his mental condition.
Colletta was under observation at the hospital, where he was taken after
becoming disruptive while in custody on Saturday night, said Richard A. Brown,
the Queens district attorney. Prosecutors added weapons and drug charges to the
counts against Mr. Colletta after the police found a second loaded gun in his
1992 Cadillac and cocaine in his pants pocket, Mr. Brown said. Mr. Colletta had
already been charged with second-degree murder, reckless endangerment and
criminal possession of a weapon. Mr. Colletta’s lawyer, Todd D. Greenberg, said
his client had been hospitalized in the past and had been given a diagnosis of
paranoid schizophrenia. Mr. Greenberg said that “He has been told what
happened. He feels terrible about it. He says he would never hurt anybody. But
I don’t think he has an awareness of his actions without being told.” He said
he left his meeting with his client “more convinced” that Mr. Colletta was
suffering from a mental illness at the time of the shooting spree. “It confirms
in my mind that he was delusional and extremely, extremely paranoid. That fits
in with his diagnosis and contributed to his actions,” Mr. Greenberg said. He
said that he was not sure that Mr. Colletta would be fit for court proceedings
and that he expected to base his legal defense on the argument that Mr.
Colletta was not responsible for his actions by reason of mental disease or
defect. Mr. Colletta is to be arraigned on murder, assault and related charges
at Bellevue or in Queens Criminal Court but must undergo further testing to
determine whether he is competent to stand trial and to participate in his
defense, Mr. Brown said. The police have said that Mr. Colletta spent the week
prior to the shooting spree snorting cocaine and sleeping in his Cadillac. By
the morning of August 25, he appeared testy and erratic to a couple he
encountered outside his home. The couple said they were parked outside his home
about 6 a.m. after a night out when Mr. Colletta, who was watering his hedges,
sprayed their cream-colored car. “I don’t like people parking in front of my
house,” he told the couple, Mr. Madrow said, and continued: “Do you think you
have more money than me? Do you think you’re richer than me?” About 13 hours
later, the shooting spree began. According to the authorities, Mr. Colletta was
under the influence of cocaine and alcohol during the shooting spree, which
would have aggravated any psychotic episode. It was unclear if he had been
taking medication lately. Subsequent History: Matthew Colletta, charged with a
drive-by shooting spree in Queens that left one man dead and at least four
others injured, told the police that he got his gun from Lucifer and that he
was reacting to “red cars closing in,” according to prosecutors at a bedside
arraignment on August 29, 2006 at Bellevue Hospital Center in Manhattan, where
he was being held without bail. Most of the targets were chosen because they
were in red vehicles, the police said. Colletta said he believed he was being
threatened by the Bloods gang, which is identified with the color red.
Prosecutors said Colletta described to police officers “red cars closing in”
during the spree, said Marcus Franklin, a reporter for The Associated Press who
was selected to represent fellow reporters at the arraignment. When arrested,
Mr. Colletta gave police investigators several versions of the events that
seemed contradictory and fantastical at times, prosecutors said. In one
version, Mr. Colletta denied involvement in the spree, telling police that he
left his car in the valet parking lot of a strip club and that “someone must
have put the gun there; that’s not mine.” But he also told police investigators
he had been temporarily living in his car and that he found the gun “in a
container,” prosecutors said. The police have said that Mr. Colletta spent last
week snorting cocaine and sleeping in his car, a Cadillac. Prosecutors said
that Mr. Colletta possessed some cocaine and five bags of angel dust, and that
he said he had “borrowed the gun from Lucifer.” State Supreme Court Judge
Justice Fernando Camacho ordered Mr. Colletta held without bail and be given a
psychiatric exam to determine if he is fit to stand trial. Todd D. Greenberg, a
lawyer for Mr. Colletta, said after the arraignment that his client had a long
history of mental illness and had been in and out of mental hospitals since he
was 18. Mr. Colletta was diagnosed as suffering from paranoid schizophrenia and
manic depression, Greenberg said. Greenberg said that he entered a plea of not
guilty for Mr. Colletta, and that the psychiatric exam would show that Mr.
Colletta was incompetent to stand trial because he did “not understand the
nature of the proceedings” and that he was “not responsible by reasons of
mental disease and defect.” Mr. Greenberg said his client’s mental illness
pushed him into taking drugs, which in turn “exacerbated his paranoia.” “When I
spoke to him, I had to tell him what happened,” Mr. Greenberg said. “When I
told him a life was lost, he was devastated.” Subsequent History: Matthew
Colletta was indicted by a grand jury on charges related to the Aug. 25 Queens
shooting spree District Attorney Richard Brown said on August 31, 2006. Brown,
who was still presenting his case to the grand jury, said once the indictment
is filed in the next few weeks the charges will be made public. Colletta was
undergoing psychiatric examinations ordered by a judge to determine his fitness
to stand trial. Subsequent History: On October 5, 2006, Matthew Colletta, 34,
the suspect authorities believe was behind a deadly six hour bullet barrage
seven weeks ago was arraigned during a brief court appearance. Standing before
Judge Robert Hanophy, Colletta listened to a grand jury’s 57 count indictment
brought against him after being transported to Kew Gardens Supreme Court from
Manhattan’s Bellevue Hospital Center. The indictment listed charges of, among
others, murder in the second degree, attempted murder, assault, criminal
possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a controlled substance.
Defense attorney Todd Greenberg entered a not guilty plea on behalf of his
client, who faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted. In court last week,
prosecutors added a 10th incident to the charges. Jeffrey Cuff, 39, of
Westport, Conn., was driving on the Van Wyck Expressway when Colletta fired
upon his black Audi. That incident undermines original reports that Colletta
fired only at red vehicles because he believed he was being pursued by the
Bloods street gang. Cuff was not injured. After his client’s arrest, Greenberg
maintained that Colletta suffered from serious mental disease and defect.
Colletta had been arrested a week earlier on assault charges stemming from a
domestic dispute with his girlfriend, and Greenberg reported that he was a
diagnosed schizophrenic. While reluctant to detail the specifics of the case he
plans to make to jurors, after the Thursday proceedings Greenberg reiterated
that his client’s mental capacity will play into his argument. Source: New
York Times, August 27, 28 & 30, 2006; New York Daily News, August 27 &
28, 2006; Newsday, August 27, 28 & 30, 2006; Gothamist, August 27, 2006;
Houston Chronicle (AP), August 26, 2006; Boston Herald, 8/29/06; Associated
Press, 9/1/06

Date: 5/2007

Location: Mount Vernon, Westchester, NY

Summary: On May 9, 3007, the 24-year-old grandson of Mayor Ernest
Davis was arrested after he tried to rob a man on a southside street and then
escape in a cab. Daniel Davis approached a 24-year-old city man at 2:15 a.m. on
East Third Street, displayed a knife and said, "You got any money? Empty
your pockets," police said. A police car happened by, Davis fled, and the
victim flagged down the car. The two officers chased Davis around the Third
Street corridor. Davis ran into the Pathmark Plaza parking lot and jumped into
a yellow cab, but the officers stopped the taxi on Third Street. Davis jumped
out and ran but was captured at 125 E. Third St. after a brief chase. Officers
said they recovered a gravity knife from him. Daniel Davis was charged with
first-degree attempted robbery, second-degree attempted grand larceny and
third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, all felonies. The mayor said his
grandson has bipolar disorder, often does not take his medication and resorts
to drinking. Prior History: Daniel Davis has 10 prior arrests - four on felony
charges, five on misdemeanors and one lesser crime. He pleaded guilty in August
2004 to criminal possession of a loaded firearm, a felony, and in 2000 to
unauthorized use of a vehicle without the owner's permission, a misdemeanor.
Subsequent History: On September 9, 2008, Westchester County Judge Barbara
Zambelli postponed Daniel case against him at the request of his lawyer, Jacob
Rollings. Ex-Mayor Ernest Davis, who was in the courtroom for the proceedings,
said his grandson has bipolar disorder and may not understand what is happening
to him. Daniel Davis was accused of trying to rob a man at knifepoint in May
2007.Davis’ sentencing to allow for a psychological exam to see if he
understands the criminal Source: The Journal News, 5/10/07; Hudson Journal
News, 9/10/08

Date: 9/2005

Location: Veteran, Chemung, NY

Summary: On September 17, 2005, state police were called to
Michael and Rebecca Cannon’s home in Veteran, when someone reported a man
wearing a bloody shirt was digging in the dirt near the home. Police discovered
Rebecca Cannon's body in the home. It was determined later that she died of
suffocation. Michael Cannon was indicted in January 2006 on a charge of
second-degree murder in the death of his wife, Rebecca Cannon, 57. Subsequent
History: A competency hearing was held October 4, 2006 in front of Chemung
County Judge James Hayden, who ruled Michael Cannon was incapable of assisting
in his own defense. In early 2007, Cannon was returned to Chemung County from
the custody of the state Department of Mental Health, who said he was now
capable of standing trial. Subsequent History: During the May 2007 trial of
Michael Cannon, Chemung County Public Defender Nancy Eraca-Cornish pointed out
that Cannon had attempted suicide in the month before the murder and had been
involuntarily committed to a mental treatment program. Several witnesses
testified that on the day of the murder, Michael Cannon was picking up dirt and
gravel, packing it into a deep gash in the middle of his forehead. Cannon's
injuries, which required hospitalization, were apparently caused by a fall from
a balcony, witnesses said. Rebecca Cannon's children from her first marriage
said they were seeking justice for their mother and were united in their stand
to not be satisfied with any kind of plea bargain for the man they believe
could have prevented their mother's death if he had taken his prescription
medication. Martin Cannon of Middleton, N.J., a younger brother of Michael
Cannon, said his brother was diagnosed with schizophrenia when he was still a
teenager. Source: Elmira Star Gazette, 5/15/07, 5/17/07

Date: 2/2006

Location: Narrowsburg, Sullivan, NY

Summary: On February 3, 2006, Sheriff's Deputy Cyrus Barnes
responded to a 911 call at William "Chris" Morris’ home in
Narrowsburg. When Barnes arrived at the address, Morris fired on him. The
bullet just missed Barnes, lodging in the seat of his patrol car. That
triggered a 12-hour stand-off. Subsequent History: On April 16, 2007, William
"Chris" Morris, 52, pleaded guilty to attempted aggravated assault on
a police officer. On May 30, 2007, Morris was sentenced to 10 years in prison
for firing at a sheriff's deputy. Morris' lawyer, Stephan Schick, read from a
psychiatrist's report: Morris has a severe form of bipolar disorder with
psychotic symptoms; post-traumatic stress disorder due his being shot during a
home-invasion robbery at his family's home when he was in his 20s; and
complications arising from severe neurological effects of Lyme disease. His
illnesses cost Morris everything he had achieved in a very successful computer
career, Schick said, and drove him into a terrible downward spiral. Sullivan
County Court Judge Frank LaBuda said the court will recommend that Morris
serves his sentence at the state secure psychiatric hospital in Marcy. Source:
Times Herald-Record, 5/30/07

Date: 4/2006

Location: Schenectady, Schenectady, NY

Summary: On April 21, 2006, Nicholas Paniccia killed his
grandmother, Marlene A. Hill, 75, by stabbing her in the neck during a
psychotic episode. Paniccia was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia months
before the killing. Paniccia told doctors that he heard voices telling him to
kill his grandmother because she was reading his thoughts. He entered her
bedroom and stabbed her at 2:20 a.m. He pinned her to the floor by flipping her
bed over on top of her. He then left the home and drove into Albany. Albany
police officers found Paniccia wandering the streets with self-inflicted knife
wounds and took him to the Capital District Psychiatric Center. He was arrested
later when Schenectady police learned of his whereabouts. Prior History: Nicholas
Paniccia was hospitalized before killing his grandmother, after a psychotic
episode in which he injured his father. He had stopped taking anti-psychotic
medication at the time when he killed his grandmother. Subsequent History: On
July 6 2007, Nicholas Paniccia, a 21-year-old Schenectady man charged with
stabbing his grandmother to death, was committed to a secure psychiatric
facility, Schenectady County prosectors said. Paniccia pleaded not responsible
by reason of mental disease or defect, according to District Attorney Robert
Carney. Paniccia will be held at the Mid-Hudson Forensic Psychiatric Center
where he will be evaluated by doctors to determine whether he can be released
from the facility. Carney said it was only the second time in about 80 murder
cases that his office had accepted an insanity plea. Source: Times- Union
(NY), 7/7/07; HudsonsMostWanted.com, 7/7/07

Date: 7/2007

Location: Albany, Albany, NY

Summary: On July 1, 2007, Harrison Carnevale, 17, was killed when
Marianne Williams, who had fled police minutes earlier, allegedly ran a stop
sign and broadsided the car he was driving on Henry Johnson Boulevard. Williams
has been charged with manslaughter in the death of the Latham teen. Prior
History: Just days after police say she nearly ran down two dozen people during
a 2005 chase through busy city neighborhoods, Marianne Williams threatened to
"put two bullets" in the forehead of a city court judge. The threat
was detailed in an August 2005 memo to then-City Court Judge John Egan from David
Kelley, a psychologist at the Albany County jail. A day earlier, Egan had
ordered county mental health staff to evaluate whether Williams understood the
numerous charges against her. Kelley would later advise the court that
Williams, now 31, understood the charges against her despite mental health
problems. His report is contained in court records connected to her subsequent
guilty plea, when 24 felony charges were replaced by a single misdemeanor.
Williams served about eight months in the Albany County jail for that
conviction, according to Sheriff James Campbell. Because she has at least two
prior convictions -- including one for attempted weapons possession -- Williams
could have been sent to prison for longer had she been convicted of another felony
then. But prosecutors say the proof wasn't there. Williams’ lawyer says she is
a sick woman who fell through the cracks. Williams, by her own admission, has
struggled with mental health problems for years -- claiming, according to
Kelley's 2005 report, to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar
disorder and relying in the past on antipsychotic and mood-altering drugs. She
has a lengthy criminal record, including a conviction for a June 2002 incident
when she called 911 and told Albany police to "send a car to Myrtle and
Grand. I'm gonna kill persons," according to court records. Williams, who
already had a felony grand larceny conviction, pleaded guilty to attempted
criminal possession of a weapon (a 4-inch knife) and served about 18 months in prison.
Source: Albany Times Union, 7/12/07

Date: 7/2007

Location: Middletown, Orange, NY

Summary: On July 13, 2007, Ray Jackson, 42, was fatally stabbed at
David Moore Heights, a housing project on Genung Street in the City of
Middletown. Jackson was having a cookout with his family and neighbors in the
public courtyard when Gilbert Judge Jr., 39, went on a tirade. Judge, who was
visiting his mother at her apartment 20 yards away, began yelling about garbage
around the house. Judge grabbed a knife, swept his mother out of her apartment
and locked himself inside with her three adopted children, ages 7, 6 and 3.
Judge’s mother, Christina Judge, asked Jackson for help. Jackson begged Judge
to come outside and let the children go. Judge ran out of the apartment and
began waving the knife in the air. People screamed and ran into their own
apartments for safety. Jackson didn't run. He picked up an aluminum baseball
bat to fend off Judge, but it was no use. Judge ran at Jackson and stabbed him
at least twice, once on the left side of Jackson's chest and once near his left
shoulder. Jackson's 19-year-old son tried helping him to his feet, but he
eventually collapsed near the roadside. He was taken to the Horton campus of
Orange Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 10:53 p.m.
Judge ran back into his mother's apartment. Police arrested him after
convincing him to drop the knife, which was 13 inches long with an 8-inch
blade. Judge has a history of mental illness. According to police, he had been released
only three days prior to the incident from Arden Hill Hospital, where he had
spent more than three weeks under observation for his mental problems. Source:
Times- Herald Record, 7/14/07

Date: 7/2007

Location: Henrietta, Henrietta, NY

Summary: On July 21, 2007, 81-year-old Stephen Mox was found dead
at his home in Henrietta. His son, Michael Mox, who has had several prior
hospitalizations for mental health reasons, was accused of accused of fatally
beating and stabbing his father. According to court records, Stephen Mox was
stabbed with a kitchen knife and beaten with a fist and a wooden cane. Susan
Love told Monroe County Sheriff's deputies she was in her West Henrietta home,
talking to her husband on the telephone when her brother arrived at her door
the night of the slaying; Love said she noticed blood on Mox's hand and a cut
on his face. Subsequent History: On September 18, 2008, Monroe County Court
Judge Richard A. Keenan sentenced Michael Mox, 43, to spend 25 years behind
bars for first-degree manslaughter for the fatal stabbing and beating of
81-year-old Stephen Mox in their Acorn Lane home on July 21, 2007. Mox, who was
diagnosed at age 19 as a paranoid schizophrenic, was originally charged with
second-degree murder. But the prosecution allowed him to plead guilty June 19
to the lesser charge because of the probability that facts in the case would
compel jurors to find him guilty of murder committed under extreme emotional
disturbance, which warrants a manslaughter count. At his plea, Mox said he
hadn't been taking prescription medication, became angry with his father, and
heard voices. Source: Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, 8/3/07, 9/14/08

Date: 5/2007

Location: Union Springs, Cayuga, NY

Summary: On May 17, 2007, Jon Hewitt threatened his former
girlfriend with two knives, forcing her to go with to his boat against her
will, and restricted her movements. Subsequent History: On August 28, 2007, Jon
Hewitt pleaded guilty to three counts related to an incident where he
threatened his former girlfriend of two decades, something he said he wishes he
could go back in time to erase. He blamed his "irrational" behavior
on his bipolar condition and him not taking his prescription. Hewitt, 48, also
pointed to his "self-medicating" use of alcohol that day. Cayuga
County Court Judge Mark Fandrich ordered Hewitt to undergo a mental health
evaluation. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, October 9.
Source: Auburn Citizen, 8/28/07, 8/29/07

Date: 9/2007

Location: Niagara Falls, Niagara, NY

Summary: On September 5, 2007, Shauna Mahoney allegedly killed her
19 1/2-month-old son, Trevor Schneider, because she didn’t want him growing up
to be like her. The statement was part of a confession Mahoney made to officers
after she was arrested that evening. The confession, now part of a
second-degree murder case against Mahoney, 20, paints a chilling picture of a
woman police and others say began battling mental problems long before her son
was born in January 2006. Mahoney told Detective Celestine Booze that she was
alone with Trevor in the home she shared with her mother and her mother’s
fiance, when she decided to end the child’s life because he wouldn’t stop
crying. She also told Booze it wasn’t the first time she considered killing her
son. “It was just me. I wanted him gone,” she said. “I suffocated him. I put my
hands on his mouth and nose, and I pushed him down. Trevor was flailing around.
He was moving his legs and arms, and I kept my hands over his mouth and nose
for 20 minutes.” Mahoney told police that she waited for several more minutes
after her son stopped moving before calling 911 to report that she had killed
her son. “The [dispatcher] said to try and resuscitate him,” Mahoney said. “I
didn’t even try.” During her arrest at about 6 p.m., as police clicked
handcuffs on her, Mahoney told officers she didn’t care about what was
happening to her. Subsequent History: Mahoney remained hospitalized in the
psychiatric unit of Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center, where she was
arraigned on September 6. A not-guilty plea was entered on her behalf, as is
standard practice for murder arraignments. Police said Mahoney was being
treated for “some type” of mental-health disorder. Prior History: Adam
Schneider, the child’s father, said he dated Mahoney for about two years before
they broke up late last year. He said that Mahoney had struggled with mental
health issues since she was 17, had twice been taken to Niagara Falls Memorial
Medical Center’s psychiatric unit for observation and had been institutionalized
for a short period at a mental-health facility in Medina. Subsequent History:
On May 1, 2008, Shauna E. Mahoney, the mentally ill woman who killed her infant
son last summer, was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in prison for first-degree
manslaughter. Mahoney had agreed in February to plead guilty to the
manslaughter count. She originally was charged with second-degree murder and
faced 25 years to life in prison if she had been convicted on that charge. She
told the judge that doctors have diagnosed her with bipolar disorder and
postpartum psychosis. Source: Buffalo News, 9/9/07, 5/2/08

Date: 9/2007

Location: Queens, Queens, NY

Summary: On September 26, 2007, fears of another Virginia Tech
massacre gripped St. John's University after a student was spotted walking
through the campus carrying a .50-caliber rifle and wearing a Halloween mask.
The suspect, Omesh Hiraman, 22, an emigrant from Guyana, was arrested with the
help of a police cadet, sources said. The loaded weapon, manufactured by Wolf,
in Spain, carries just one shot, and while no other ammunition was found on
Hiraman, police searching his Elmhurst home yesterday found another 50 rounds
of ammunition. Police sources said that Hiraman told them that he was
schizophrenic and hadn't taken his medication. Attorney Anthony Colleluori said
his client, who transferred to St. John's from Cornell University, was being
taken to a hospital, and that he "is exhausted, confused and sad."
Hiraman was supposed to be in a business class when he was arrested, police
said, but he walked right past it and did little to remain unobtrusive. Some
witnesses said he appeared to be marching. The weapon, police said, was only
partly concealed by a black plastic garbage bag, and his Halloween mask turned
heads. The school was locked down and police searched each building, looking
for a possible second gunman, a notion fueled by the fact that Hiraman took off
his mask and removed clothing as he walked through campus, police sources said.
By 5:30 p.m., with frantic parents racing to the campus, the lockdown ended.
Subsequent History: On September 28, 2007, Omesh Hiraman, 22, was arraigned at
his bedside at Bellevue Hospital by way of video conference. Hiraman’s parents
stood by as he was arraigned on three charges, including fourth-degree criminal
possession of a weapon, which is a misdemeanor charge carrying a maximum
sentence of one year in prison. Hiraman is also charged with two violations
regarding the rifle – illegal possession of a rifle and a charge related
to the rifle’s certification. Hiraman's lawyer says side effects from recent
back surgery and medication for schizophrenia may have prompted Wednesday's
incident, but he insists this was not a repeat of Columbine or Virginia Tech.
Hiraman is scheduled to undergo a psychiatric evaluation next month to decide
if he's fit to stand trial. The judge has ordered him held without bail until
his next hearing, which is scheduled for October 28th. Source: Newsday,
9/27/07; New York 1 News, 9/28/07

Date: 9/2007

Location: Queens, Queens, NY

Summary: On September 26, 2007, fears of another Virginia Tech
massacre gripped St. John's University after a student was spotted walking
through the campus carrying a .50-caliber rifle and wearing a Halloween mask.
The suspect, Omesh Hiraman, 22, an emigrant from Guyana, was arrested with the
help of a police cadet, sources said. The loaded weapon, manufactured by Wolf,
in Spain, carries just one shot, and while no other ammunition was found on
Hiraman, police searching his Elmhurst home yesterday found another 50 rounds
of ammunition. Police sources said that Hiraman told them that he was
schizophrenic and hadn't taken his medication. Attorney Anthony Colleluori said
his client, who transferred to St. John's from Cornell University, was being taken
to a hospital, and that he "is exhausted, confused and sad." Hiraman
was supposed to be in a business class when he was arrested, police said, but
he walked right past it and did little to remain unobtrusive. Some witnesses
said he appeared to be marching. The weapon, police said, was only partly
concealed by a black plastic garbage bag, and his Halloween mask turned heads.
The school was locked down and police searched each building, looking for a
possible second gunman, a notion fueled by the fact that Hiraman took off his
mask and removed clothing as he walked through campus, police sources said. By
5:30 p.m., with frantic parents racing to the campus, the lockdown ended.
Subsequent History: On September 28, 2007, Omesh Hiraman, 22, was arraigned at
his bedside at Bellevue Hospital by way of video conference. Hiraman’s parents
stood by as he was arraigned on three charges, including fourth-degree criminal
possession of a weapon, which is a misdemeanor charge carrying a maximum
sentence of one year in prison. Hiraman is also charged with two violations
regarding the rifle – illegal possession of a rifle and a charge related
to the rifle’s certification. Hiraman's lawyer says side effects from recent
back surgery and medication for schizophrenia may have prompted Wednesday's
incident, but he insists this was not a repeat of Columbine or Virginia Tech.
Hiraman is scheduled to undergo a psychiatric evaluation next month to decide
if he's fit to stand trial. The judge has ordered him held without bail until his
next hearing, which is scheduled for October 28th. Source: Newsday, 9/27/07;
New York 1 News, 9/28/07

Date: 9/2007

Location: West Saugerties, Ulster, NY

Summary: On September 26, 2007, Tracey Passaro, 37, was found dead
inside her and her husband's home in West Saugerties after a person inside the
house called 911 and said there had been a shooting. When police from several
agencies arrived at the house, Anthony Passaro Jr., 40, was waiting outside and
confessed that he had shot his wife, state police Capt. Wayne Olson said. The
husband was taken into custody immediately, charged with second-degree murder
later that day and sent to the Ulster County Jail without bail. Prior History:
Anthony A. Passaro, the suspect's father, said during an interview that his son
is "a very sick man" - that he was diagnosed with diabetes at age 4,
suffers from depression and has multiple sclerosis, which caused blindness in
one eye. Tracey Passaro's sister, Toni Del'Ostia of Yonkers, said on that her
brother-in-law has a history of mental illness, tried to kill himself on more
than one occasion, is prone to wild mood swings and has been in and out of
psychiatric hospitals. Relatives said Anthony Passaro Jr. had two sisters and
was home-schooled for a few years but never graduated high school or earned an
equivalency diploma. He worked at one time as an electrician but lately has
been on disability, relatives said. Subsequent History: On November 23, 2009,
Anthony D. Passaro Jr. was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for shooting
his wife, Tracey, to death in their home two years ago. Passaro's sentencing,
on a charge of second-degree murder, was delayed seven months because he was
too sick to go to court. Passaro, 42, attended the hearing in a hospital bed.
Passaro's lawyer, public defender Andrew Kossover, asked that the court show
Passaro "some compassion" because of his medical conditions, which he
said include multiple sclerosis, diabetes and a lesion on his brain, as well as
past diagnoses of being bipolar and schizophrenic. Kossover said he's had no
meaningful communication with his client since the trial, but Acting state
Supreme Court Justice Roger McDonough noted two psychologists examined Passaro
and found he was able to understand the court proceedings. Source: Kingston
Daily Freeman, 9/28/07; Middletown Times Herald Record, 11/24/09

Date: 10/2007

Location: Bronx, Bronx, NY

Summary: On October 6, 2007, Lee Coleman, 38, went on a bloody
rampage after stealing knives from a Second Ave. restaurant. Coleman appeared to
have super-human strength after attacking 56-year-old cook Amarjit Singh of
Queens and mutilating Susan Barron, 67, an East Side psychologist, witnesses
said. "After he got shot, he was still standing up," said Gus
Kassimis, 36, who saw part of the attack from the Gemini diner he owns on
Second Ave. "It took four cops to wrestle him to the ground." Coleman
was taken to Bellevue Hospital in serious condition after he was shot.
According to police, he faced charges of attempted murder and assault. Coleman’s
sister, Teresa Gonzalez, said her was schizophrenic and bipolar and that he had
been "really stressed" and "struggling" in recent days.
Gonzalez said that her family was trying to get Coleman help just before the
attack. Coleman, a former male model, was living a normal life until he
suffered nervous breakdowns in 2005 and again earlier this year. He was treated
each time at Jacobi Medical Center, said Gonzalez. She confirmed a news report
that her brother had stopped taking his medication a long time ago because,
"It made him sluggish. He thought it was doing him harm." Subsequent
History: On October 15, 2008, Lee Coleman, 39, who brutally slashed Susan
Barron on an East Side street was sentenced to 16 years in prison. Barron has
had 15 operations and had to give away her beloved Scottish terrier because she
was unable to care for the pooch. Cook Amarjit Singh, who tried to stop the
attack, lost a piece of his ear, and said he can no longer work. Coleman
apologized and said he was "not myself" when he snatched restaurant
kitchen knives and went on a rampage on October 6, 2007. Manhattan Supreme
Court Justice Rena Uviller blamed the attack on authorities' failure to enforce
laws that are supposed to keep the mentally ill on their medications. Source:
NY Daily News, 10/8/07; Channel 2 News (NY), 10/9/07; New York Daily News,
10/15/08

Date: 10/2007

Location: Bronx, Bronx, NY

Summary: On October 6, 2007, Lee Coleman, 38, went on a bloody
rampage after stealing knives from a Second Ave. restaurant. Coleman appeared
to have super-human strength after attacking 56-year-old cook Amarjit Singh of
Queens and mutilating Susan Barron, 67, an East Side psychologist, witnesses
said. "After he got shot, he was still standing up," said Gus
Kassimis, 36, who saw part of the attack from the Gemini diner he owns on
Second Ave. "It took four cops to wrestle him to the ground." Coleman
was taken to Bellevue Hospital in serious condition after he was shot.
According to police, he faced charges of attempted murder and assault. Coleman’s
sister, Teresa Gonzalez, said her was schizophrenic and bipolar and that he had
been "really stressed" and "struggling" in recent days.
Gonzalez said that her family was trying to get Coleman help just before the
attack. Coleman, a former male model, was living a normal life until he
suffered nervous breakdowns in 2005 and again earlier this year. He was treated
each time at Jacobi Medical Center, said Gonzalez. She confirmed a news report
that her brother had stopped taking his medication a long time ago because,
"It made him sluggish. He thought it was doing him harm." Subsequent
History: On October 15, 2008, Lee Coleman, 39, who brutally slashed Susan
Barron on an East Side street was sentenced to 16 years in prison. Barron has
had 15 operations and had to give away her beloved Scottish terrier because she
was unable to care for the pooch. Cook Amarjit Singh, who tried to stop the
attack, lost a piece of his ear, and said he can no longer work. Coleman
apologized and said he was "not myself" when he snatched restaurant
kitchen knives and went on a rampage on October 6, 2007. Manhattan Supreme
Court Justice Rena Uviller blamed the attack on authorities' failure to enforce
laws that are supposed to keep the mentally ill on their medications. Source:
NY Daily News, 10/8/07; Channel 2 News (NY), 10/9/07; New York Daily News,
10/15/08

Date: 11/2006

Location: Manorville, Suffolk, NY

Summary: On November 18, 2006, Carolyn Buonnano was arrested after
fatally stabbing her husband, Raymond, 43, three times on the neck before
slitting her own throat in a botched suicide attempt. Buonnano was charged with
second-degree murder. Subsequent History: On February 11, 2008, Carolyn
Buonnano, who stabbed her husband to death in an apparently unprovoked attack
in their home entered an insanity plea. In a deal with prosecutors, Buonnano,
39, entered a plea of not responsible by reason of mental disease in Suffolk
County Court. Judge James Hudson ordered Buonnano to undergo treatment at a
psychiatric hospital. Her attorney, Eric W. Naiburg of Central Islip, said a
forensic psychologist testified that Buonnano was psychotic before and after
the event. The couple had a good marriage that was interrupted by her mental
disease, Naiburg said. "She was a paranoid schizophrenic and she believed
he was trying to do her wrong," Naiburg said. Assistant District Attorney
Nancy Clifford said Buonnano was "unable to appreciate the nature of what
she did." Source: Newsday, 2/12/08

Date: 1/2008

Location: New Hartford, Oneida, NY

Summary: In January 2008, 19-year-old Kevin Adams fatally stabbed
his grandfather, 81-year-old of Edward Bogan, a longtime aide to former
Congressman Sherwood Boehlert. Subsequent History: On February 12, 2008, New
Hartford Town Justice William Virkler ruled that Kevin Adams, charged with
murdering his grandfather, was competent to stand trial. Oneida County Chief
Public Defender Frank Nebush said he planned to pursue an insanity defense for
Adams. Nebush said Adams suffers from paranoid schizophrenia and was being
treated at Central New York Psychiatric Center in Marcy, near Utica. Subsequent
History: On April 10, 2008, 19-year-old Kevin Adams entered a plea of insanity
in Oneida County Court related to the January stabbing death of his
grandfather, Edward Bogan. Adams was charged January 4 with second-degree
murder after he told police that he stabbed 80-year-old Bogan inside the
relative’s Clinton House apartment. Prior History: Since Adams’ arrest, public
defender, Frank Nebush Jr., has continuously argued that Adams suffers from
paranoid schizophrenia and was most likely acting on “delusions” when he killed
his grandfather. Adams was been examined by both defense and prosecution
psychiatrists, and their conclusion was that Adams suffers from some form of
mental defect, attorneys said. Source: Newsday, 2/13/08; Utica Observer
Dispatch, 4/10/08, 11/6/08

Date: 2/2008

Location: New York, New York, NY

Summary: On February 12, 2008, Kathryn Faughey, a psychologist,
was fatally stabbed in her Manhattan office as she saw patients late into the
evening. Faughey was stabbed 15 times. Dr. Kent Shinbach, who shared a suite
with Faughey and tried to help, was also stabbed but recovered from his wounds.
Faughey had been practicing on the Upper East Side for more than two decades.
She was alone in her office when a man showed up at the East 79th Street
building that houses the suite she shared with Shinbach and three other
therapists. The man entered Faughey's office and attacked her with a meat
cleaver and a 9-inch knife, police said. Subsequent History: On February 16,
2008, 39-year-old David Tarloff, who was treated for schizophrenia at a Staten
Island psychiatric facility, was arrested for the murder of Dr. Kathryn Faughey
after investigators matched his palm prints with those at the bloody crime
scene where Dr. Faughey was killed. Police said he told investigators he had
set out to rob a psychiatrist he said had institutionalized him 17 years ago,
but ended up in Dr. Faughey's office. Police said it remained unclear why Tarloff
would have attacked Dr. Faughey. A psychiatrist who worked nearby, Dr. Kent
Shinbach, came to Dr. Faughey's aid and was badly injured. Police couldn't
confirm whether Tarloff was ever Dr. Shinbach's patient, or whether he'd met
Dr. Faughey. Robert Tarloff, Tarloff’s brother said his own family had
unsuccessfully tried to keep his brother institutionalized. "My father and
I and our mother all tried our best to keep him [David] in the facilities that
he was hospitalized in over the many, many years of his illness, and they kept
releasing him even after we've told them what has been going on with his
situation," Robert Tarloff said. "We did the best that we could
asking them to keep him in there and they didn't." Subsequent History: At
his February 17, arraignment, David Tarloff was all but incoherent during the
five-minute proceeding in Manhattan Criminal Court. Tarloff said his Legal Aid
lawyer, Reginald Sharpe, was not an attorney. Acting Supreme Court Justice Ruth
Pickholz ordered Tarloff be taken to Bellevue Hospital, where he was to undergo
a psychological evaluation to determine if he was mentally competent to stand
trial. Tarloff was charged with second-degree murder, second-degree attempted
murder and first-degree assault, in connection with the therapist's slaying.
Prior History: Tarloff had been arrested earlier in February on charges of
punching a security guard in the face after being asked to leave St. John's
Episcopal Hospital in Queens. It wasn't clear why Tarloff had been at the
hospital. According to a health care professional at Staten Island University
Hospital where Tarloff was treated for schizophrenia last summer, Tarloff's
mental illness has landed him in court before. The source said Tarloff had been
a patient at the psychiatric ward in the Ocean Breeze facility for as many as
seven months last year, and on several occasions, court orders had be obtained
in Supreme Court in St. George, so doctors could administer medication to treat
his schizophrenia. Subsequent History: On October 14, 2008, Justice Charles H.
Solomon of State Supreme Court in Manhattan ruled that David Tarloff was
mentally unfit to stand trial, and ordered that he be sent to a state
psychiatric institution. The ruling came one week after two court-appointed
psychiatrists found that Tarloff had become so withdrawn that he would be
unable to assist in his own defense. Mr. Tarloff’s lawyer, Bryan Konoski, has
said that since his arrest shortly after the killing, Tarloff’s mental health
has been up and down. He added that at times, Mr. Tarloff was stable while
medicated, but that his condition was now worse than ever. Mr. Tarloff has not
been speaking with anyone — not even his father, who used to visit him
periodically, according to one of the psychiatric reports filed with the court
last week. The death of Mr. Tarloff’s mother during the summer might have
pushed him into a deep depression, Mr. Konoski said. A report by Tarloff’s
psychiatrists said that he had not been taking his medication, and that he was
on suicide watch. In June, a judge issued a ruling allowing doctors to force
Tarloff to take his medication, but Konoski said he thought the order might
have expired. The state institution where Tarloff is sent could get another
judge to issue a force order, he said. Tarloff must remain institutionalized
“until some time that he is fit to proceed,” Justice Solomon said. Subsequent
History: On October 18, 2010, two psychiatrists told a judge that David Tarloff
wasn't mentally competent to stand trial, which was set to begin. Jury
selection was halted but the judge scheduled another psychiatric examination at
the request of prosecutors. The judge declared a mistrial. Source: Newsday,
2/14/08, 2/15/08; New York Daily News, 2/18/08, 6/10/08, 10/15/08, 4/8/10;
Times News (NC), 2/18/08, 2/20/08, 6/11/08; Staten Island Advance, 2/18/08; New
York Times, 2/19/08, 4/16/08, 10/7/08, 10/17/10; WNBC TV, 2/19/08; NY Post,
2/22/08

Date: 10/2005

Location: Bay Shore, Suffolk, NY

Summary: On October 21, 2005, Elden MacFarlane, a former Green Beret,
picked up a kitchen knife and repeatedly plunged it into Regina Jones
MacFarlane's neck in their Bay Shore home. Prior History: On February 13, 2008,
at Elden MacFarlane’s murder trial, Dr. Alexander Sasha Bardey of Manhattan, a
forensic psychiatrist, testified that four years before he killed his future
wife, MacFarlane had returned home from Operation Desert Storm and was
diagnosed by a military doctor as being depressed testified. And, in the years
that followed, MacFarlane was caught in a spiraling descent toward paranoid
schizophrenia that included obsessive thoughts about the smell of melted bodies
in Kuwait, religious delirium that made him hammer a metal spike into his right
hand in Delaware, and driving a car through backyards in North Carolina, Dr.
Bardey testified. On the day of the murder, Bardey told the jury, MacFarlane
"lacked substantial capacity to know that what he was doing was
wrong." Bardey' is defense attorney William Ferris' star witness - a
scientific voice showing that MacFarlane was mentally ill before the slaying
and therefore should be sent to a hospital, not to prison for as much as 25
years to life, for his wife's killing. Pointing to medical records that date to
2001, Bardey told the jury MacFarlane's father and brother also suffered from
mental illness, and explained that paranoid schizophrenia grows worse over
years before reaching a boiling point. Source: Newsday, 2/14/08, 2/15/08

Date: 2/2008

Location: New York, New York, NY

Summary: On February 12, 2008, Kathryn Faughey, a psychologist,
was fatally stabbed in her Manhattan office as she saw patients late into the
evening. Faughey was stabbed 15 times. Dr. Kent Shinbach, who shared a suite
with Faughey and tried to help, was also stabbed but recovered from his wounds.
Faughey had been practicing on the Upper East Side for more than two decades.
She was alone in her office when a man showed up at the East 79th Street
building that houses the suite she shared with Shinbach and three other
therapists. The man entered Faughey's office and attacked her with a meat
cleaver and a 9-inch knife, police said. Subsequent History: On February 16,
2008, 39-year-old David Tarloff, who was treated for schizophrenia at a Staten
Island psychiatric facility, was arrested for the murder of Dr. Kathryn Faughey
after investigators matched his palm prints with those at the bloody crime
scene where Dr. Faughey was killed. Police said he told investigators he had
set out to rob a psychiatrist he said had institutionalized him 17 years ago,
but ended up in Dr. Faughey's office. Police said it remained unclear why
Tarloff would have attacked Dr. Faughey. A psychiatrist who worked nearby, Dr.
Kent Shinbach, came to Dr. Faughey's aid and was badly injured. Police couldn't
confirm whether Tarloff was ever Dr. Shinbach's patient, or whether he'd met
Dr. Faughey. Robert Tarloff, Tarloff’s brother said his own family had
unsuccessfully tried to keep his brother institutionalized. "My father and
I and our mother all tried our best to keep him [David] in the facilities that
he was hospitalized in over the many, many years of his illness, and they kept
releasing him even after we've told them what has been going on with his
situation," Robert Tarloff said. "We did the best that we could
asking them to keep him in there and they didn't." Subsequent History: At
his February 17, arraignment, David Tarloff was all but incoherent during the
five-minute proceeding in Manhattan Criminal Court. Tarloff said his Legal Aid
lawyer, Reginald Sharpe, was not an attorney. Acting Supreme Court Justice Ruth
Pickholz ordered Tarloff be taken to Bellevue Hospital, where he was to undergo
a psychological evaluation to determine if he was mentally competent to stand
trial. Tarloff was charged with second-degree murder, second-degree attempted
murder and first-degree assault, in connection with the therapist's slaying.
Prior History: Tarloff had been arrested earlier in February on charges of
punching a security guard in the face after being asked to leave St. John's
Episcopal Hospital in Queens. It wasn't clear why Tarloff had been at the
hospital. According to a health care professional at Staten Island University
Hospital where Tarloff was treated for schizophrenia last summer, Tarloff's
mental illness has landed him in court before. The source said Tarloff had been
a patient at the psychiatric ward in the Ocean Breeze facility for as many as
seven months last year, and on several occasions, court orders had be obtained
in Supreme Court in St. George, so doctors could administer medication to treat
his schizophrenia. Subsequent History: On October 14, 2008, Justice Charles H.
Solomon of State Supreme Court in Manhattan ruled that David Tarloff was
mentally unfit to stand trial, and ordered that he be sent to a state
psychiatric institution. The ruling came one week after two court-appointed
psychiatrists found that Tarloff had become so withdrawn that he would be
unable to assist in his own defense. Mr. Tarloff’s lawyer, Bryan Konoski, has
said that since his arrest shortly after the killing, Tarloff’s mental health
has been up and down. He added that at times, Mr. Tarloff was stable while
medicated, but that his condition was now worse than ever. Mr. Tarloff has not
been speaking with anyone — not even his father, who used to visit him
periodically, according to one of the psychiatric reports filed with the court
last week. The death of Mr. Tarloff’s mother during the summer might have
pushed him into a deep depression, Mr. Konoski said. A report by Tarloff’s
psychiatrists said that he had not been taking his medication, and that he was
on suicide watch. In June, a judge issued a ruling allowing doctors to force
Tarloff to take his medication, but Konoski said he thought the order might
have expired. The state institution where Tarloff is sent could get another
judge to issue a force order, he said. Tarloff must remain institutionalized
“until some time that he is fit to proceed,” Justice Solomon said. Subsequent
History: On October 18, 2010, two psychiatrists told a judge that David Tarloff
wasn't mentally competent to stand trial, which was set to begin. Jury
selection was halted but the judge scheduled another psychiatric examination at
the request of prosecutors. The judge declared a mistrial. Source: Newsday,
2/14/08, 2/15/08; New York Daily News, 2/18/08, 6/10/08, 10/15/08, 4/8/10;
Times News (NC), 2/18/08, 2/20/08, 6/11/08; Staten Island Advance, 2/18/08; New
York Times, 2/19/08, 4/16/08, 10/7/08, 10/17/10; WNBC TV, 2/19/08; NY Post,
2/22/08

Date: 2/2008

Location: Massena, Saint Lawrence, NY

Summary: On January 31, 2008, Harry Klages II, 25, allegedly
attackeded Andrew W. Lesperance, 51, with a knife leaving the man barely
clinging to life in the younger man's South Main Street apartment. Klages
brutally mutilated Lesperance by gouging out his eyeball, cutting off his
genitals and slicing into his other eye and abdomen. Prior History: Harry E.
Klages II began showing signs of a troubled mind early on in his life. He
exhibited evidence of mental illness "since he was a small child" and,
at age 17, was being treated for alcohol problems said his father, Harry E.
Klages Sr. Despite Klages's criminal record, expulsion from SUNY Cobleskill for
bizarre behavior and a history of being in and out of various mental health and
alcohol abuse programs and facilities, many who knew him never suspected he
might be capable of brutally mutilating Lesperance. Those who knew or met
Klages describe a young man who, depending on whether he was drunk or sober,
could be a monster or friendly but who was deeply troubled. Klages was
learning-disabled since childhood and suffered from schizophrenia at an early
age, said his father. "Every six months or a year he was sent to rehab by
me until he moved out," Mr. Klages said. "They said he had serious
mental health problems then." Mrs. Klages, who moved into the household
about five years ago, said she knew right from the start that Klages was deeply
troubled. "He drew demonic, ghoulish pictures ... his entire room, the
walls were painted with ghoulish things," Mrs. Klages said. "The
movies he watched, the music he listened to, was all violent. It was horrific
stuff. He has tattoos all over him that are ghoulish. That should tip anyone
off there is something wrong with him." People who knew him said he was a
talented tattoo artist and some of his designs may have been inked on his own
body. A local shop owner said he had heard that Klages was doing tattooing out
of his apartment. Klages's father doubts that was the case. "He might have
tattooed a couple of people there, but he wasn't in business doing tattoos, as
far as I know," Mr. Klages said, adding that his son received Social
Security disability payments because of his mental illness. According to
Klages’ former girlfriend, Klages has served county jail time for attempted
assault related to a knife attack on a man at Fitzy's Tavern in Ogdensburg.
Source: The Capital, 2/18/08; Watertown Daily Times, 4/29/09

Date: 2/2008

Location: New Cassel, Nassau, NY

Summary: On February 24, 2008, Leatrice Brewer, described as emotionally
disturbed and afraid of losing custody of her children called the police and
led them into a blood-spattered bedroom where her young daughter and two small
sons lay slain on a bed, investigators said. Brewer, 27, who lived with the
children in an apartment in the Nassau County hamlet of New Cassel, was taken
to a hospital for physical and mental examinations. Later that evening, she was
charged with the murder of all three children. Neither the police nor the
county medical examiner said what caused the death of the children, who were
identified as Jewell Ward, 6; Michael Demesyeux, 5; and Innocent Demesyeux, 18
months old. But investigators said one appeared to have been drowned, while the
others had been slashed to death. Prior History: Nassau authorities declined to
discuss any motives behind the killings. But relatives and acquaintances
described Ms. Brewer as emotionally unstable. The two fathers of the children
said they had tried through the courts to gain custody. Ricky Ward, Jewell’s father,
said he had been trying in Family Court for a year. In the 12 years that he had
known her, Mr. Ward said Ms. Brewer had tried to kill herself a number of
times. The Nassau police said they were investigating a report that she had
jumped out a window of her apartment on the day of the killings. “He problem
was her mind state,” Mr. Ward said. “She wasn’t stable and wasn’t able to
communicate. She didn’t want anyone to have her kids. It’s a tragedy that my
daughter’s gone.” Innocent Demesyeux, the father of Ms. Brewer’s two sons, said
that he and Ms. Brewer had been battling in court for 18 months over visitation
rights and custody of the boys, and that she feared she might soon lose
custody. He said that he and Ms. Brewer had a date in Nassau County Family
Court on February 25, and that he had hoped to win the case. He said Ms. Brewer
had missed court dates recently and had refused to take drug tests. He said
that he had recently been in contact with a county child protective services
agency and that a representative was to have visited Ms. Brewer’s apartment on
February 22. It was unclear if that visit took place. Some neighbors said Ms.
Brewer had behaved bizarrely. “I used to see her walking down the street during
the day in her pajamas,” said Lisa Jones, who said she was a distant relative
of Ms. Brewer. Asked if Ms. Brewer had seemed mentally unstable, Ms. Jones
said, “Absolutely.” The Rev. Elijah Crawford, pastor of the Healing Power
Church, spoke on behalf of the family at the Westbury home of a relative of Ms.
Brewer’s, where family members had gathered. He said he had been told that Ms.
Brewer had snapped because money she had expected from a social services agency
— money she needed for the children — had failed to arrive. She
didn’t get it, and snapped out,” the pastor said. He later said of family
members: “They don’t know what happened. All they know is that she snapped.
They said she had great love for her children. It’s just something that
happened all of a sudden.” Source: NY Times, 2/25/08

Date: 2/2008

Location: New Cassel, Nassau, NY

Summary: On February 24, 2008, Leatrice Brewer, described as
emotionally disturbed and afraid of losing custody of her children called the
police and led them into a blood-spattered bedroom where her young daughter and
two small sons lay slain on a bed, investigators said. Brewer, 27, who lived
with the children in an apartment in the Nassau County hamlet of New Cassel,
was taken to a hospital for physical and mental examinations. Later that
evening, she was charged with the murder of all three children. Neither the
police nor the county medical examiner said what caused the death of the
children, who were identified as Jewell Ward, 6; Michael Demesyeux, 5; and
Innocent Demesyeux, 18 months old. But investigators said one appeared to have
been drowned, while the others had been slashed to death. Prior History: Nassau
authorities declined to discuss any motives behind the killings. But relatives
and acquaintances described Ms. Brewer as emotionally unstable. The two fathers
of the children said they had tried through the courts to gain custody. Ricky
Ward, Jewell’s father, said he had been trying in Family Court for a year. In
the 12 years that he had known her, Mr. Ward said Ms. Brewer had tried to kill
herself a number of times. The Nassau police said they were investigating a
report that she had jumped out a window of her apartment on the day of the
killings. “He problem was her mind state,” Mr. Ward said. “She wasn’t stable
and wasn’t able to communicate. She didn’t want anyone to have her kids. It’s a
tragedy that my daughter’s gone.” Innocent Demesyeux, the father of Ms.
Brewer’s two sons, said that he and Ms. Brewer had been battling in court for
18 months over visitation rights and custody of the boys, and that she feared
she might soon lose custody. He said that he and Ms. Brewer had a date in
Nassau County Family Court on February 25, and that he had hoped to win the
case. He said Ms. Brewer had missed court dates recently and had refused to
take drug tests. He said that he had recently been in contact with a county
child protective services agency and that a representative was to have visited
Ms. Brewer’s apartment on February 22. It was unclear if that visit took place.
Some neighbors said Ms. Brewer had behaved bizarrely. “I used to see her
walking down the street during the day in her pajamas,” said Lisa Jones, who
said she was a distant relative of Ms. Brewer. Asked if Ms. Brewer had seemed
mentally unstable, Ms. Jones said, “Absolutely.” The Rev. Elijah Crawford,
pastor of the Healing Power Church, spoke on behalf of the family at the
Westbury home of a relative of Ms. Brewer’s, where family members had gathered.
He said he had been told that Ms. Brewer had snapped because money she had
expected from a social services agency — money she needed for the
children — had failed to arrive. She didn’t get it, and snapped out,” the
pastor said. He later said of family members: “They don’t know what happened.
All they know is that she snapped. They said she had great love for her
children. It’s just something that happened all of a sudden.” Source: NY
Times, 2/25/08

Date: 2/2008

Location: New Cassel, Nassau, NY

Summary: On February 24, 2008, Leatrice Brewer, described as
emotionally disturbed and afraid of losing custody of her children called the
police and led them into a blood-spattered bedroom where her young daughter and
two small sons lay slain on a bed, investigators said. Brewer, 27, who lived
with the children in an apartment in the Nassau County hamlet of New Cassel,
was taken to a hospital for physical and mental examinations. Later that
evening, she was charged with the murder of all three children. Neither the
police nor the county medical examiner said what caused the death of the
children, who were identified as Jewell Ward, 6; Michael Demesyeux, 5; and
Innocent Demesyeux, 18 months old. But investigators said one appeared to have
been drowned, while the others had been slashed to death. Prior History: Nassau
authorities declined to discuss any motives behind the killings. But relatives
and acquaintances described Ms. Brewer as emotionally unstable. The two fathers
of the children said they had tried through the courts to gain custody. Ricky
Ward, Jewell’s father, said he had been trying in Family Court for a year. In
the 12 years that he had known her, Mr. Ward said Ms. Brewer had tried to kill
herself a number of times. The Nassau police said they were investigating a
report that she had jumped out a window of her apartment on the day of the
killings. “He problem was her mind state,” Mr. Ward said. “She wasn’t stable
and wasn’t able to communicate. She didn’t want anyone to have her kids. It’s a
tragedy that my daughter’s gone.” Innocent Demesyeux, the father of Ms.
Brewer’s two sons, said that he and Ms. Brewer had been battling in court for
18 months over visitation rights and custody of the boys, and that she feared
she might soon lose custody. He said that he and Ms. Brewer had a date in
Nassau County Family Court on February 25, and that he had hoped to win the
case. He said Ms. Brewer had missed court dates recently and had refused to
take drug tests. He said that he had recently been in contact with a county
child protective services agency and that a representative was to have visited
Ms. Brewer’s apartment on February 22. It was unclear if that visit took place.
Some neighbors said Ms. Brewer had behaved bizarrely. “I used to see her
walking down the street during the day in her pajamas,” said Lisa Jones, who
said she was a distant relative of Ms. Brewer. Asked if Ms. Brewer had seemed
mentally unstable, Ms. Jones said, “Absolutely.” The Rev. Elijah Crawford,
pastor of the Healing Power Church, spoke on behalf of the family at the
Westbury home of a relative of Ms. Brewer’s, where family members had gathered.
He said he had been told that Ms. Brewer had snapped because money she had
expected from a social services agency — money she needed for the
children — had failed to arrive. She didn’t get it, and snapped out,” the
pastor said. He later said of family members: “They don’t know what happened.
All they know is that she snapped. They said she had great love for her
children. It’s just something that happened all of a sudden.” Source: NY
Times, 2/25/08

Date: 2/2008

Location: Queensbury, Warren, NY

Summary: On February 26, 2008, Stanley W. Chrostowski, 50, died
after being struck by a tractor trailer. Investigators said he was driving
southbound in the northbound lanes of the Northway when his car hit the truck
head-on. The 2003 Ford Mustang he was driving broke in two pieces from the
force of the high-speed, head-on collision. Officials at the scene said the
crash happened at about 4:20 a.m., when Chrostowski struck a Stewart's truck
south of Exit 18. The truck, a refrigerated box truck owned by Stewarts Shops,
burst into flames, and the driver escaped with little more than a bump on his
head, said West Glens Falls Fire Chief Michael Gordon. Gordon called it a
"miracle" he was not seriously hurt. He was treated at Glens Falls
Hospital and released. He was identified as Kevin Palmatier of Lake Luzerne.
Prior History: Chrostowski had an extensive history of treatment for mental
illness, and investigators were looking into whether he intentionally drove in
the wrong lane in an effort to commit suicide. Two neighbors of Chrostowski who
said he had recently stopped taking his medication for mental illness said they
believed he committed suicide. One said he had made a comment Monday that she
would have a "new neighbor soon." Source: Glenn Falls Post Star, 2/26/08

Date: 2/2008

Location: Westbury, Nassau, NY

Summary: On February 23, 2008, Leatrice Brewer, 27, drowned her
three children, Jewell Ward, Michael Demesyeux, and Innocent Desmesyeux Jr. one
by one and then laid them out on her bed in their pajamas. In the hours before
the incident, Brewer, 27, told her brother that she was “fine” when he asked
her how she was doing. Prior History: Relatives say that the death of Leatrice
Brewer’s mother four years opened the most difficult chapter of her life.
Interviews with family members and friends as well as court documents yield a
portrait of her last few years: an often confrontational woman leading a life
marked by substance abuse, arrests, an abusive relationship with the father of
two of her children, financial struggles and mental health issues. Although
raised by her maternal grandmother, Maebell Mickens, in a strict household, in
more recent years Leatrice Brewer had built a criminal record including
harassment and unlawful possession of marijuana, as she shuttled from one
social service office to another and struggled to raise three children. Her
parents had also struggled: Her father, Larry Brewer, who died in 2001, was in
and out of jail during her formative years, said relatives, and her mother,
Pearly Mae Mickens struggled with drug addiction and schizophrenia. As a junior
in high school, Brewer was charged with petty larceny and pleaded guilty to
disorderly conduct. She didn't graduate, but later earned her General
Educational Development certificate, a family member said. Around that time,
Brewer met Ricky Ward, who would father her first child, a daughter named
Jewell, who was born in June 2001. Almost two years later, Michael was born, in
February 2003. His father was Innocent Demesyeux, who for a time lived with
Brewer in New Cassel. In April 2003, Demesyeux took out a restraining order on
Brewer after she attempted to slash him with a large kitchen knife, according
to court documents. That same month, Brewer was first accused of slapping
Jewell, then 1, and officials opened the first of 10 cases on her over the
ensuing four years, six of which were deemed unfounded. Complaints were made by
Brewer herself, Maebell Mickens, Innocent Desmesyeux and anonymous or
undisclosed callers. In August 2006, Innocent Desmesyeux Jr. was born. Last
fall, Brewer got a job at Kohl's in Westbury. But with the loss of that job
about a month ago, Maebell Mickens said she saw a dramatic change in Brewer.
She walked around in public in pajama pants, a T-shirt and a ragged hair scarf,
a relative said. In mid-February, Mickens asked one of Brewer's cousins to
check on Brewer. The cousin went to see her a few days later and Brewer
complained that people were watching her but that she was fine. On Friday,
February 22, two days before the killings, Maebell Mickens visited her
granddaughter and found her depressed and complaining that her life was in
disarray. Brewer again talked of people watching her and voices talking to her
from the television. Mickens offered to take care of the children for a while,
but Brewer said no. That same day, Nassau child protection officials sent
caseworkers twice to visit Brewer, but got no answer at the door. Over the next
day, Maebell Mickens couldn't get through to her granddaughter, so she sent Robert
McCord, Brewer's brother, to go check on her. They talked for a while and the
children seemed OK. Source: Newsday, 3/1/08

Date: 2/2008

Location: Westbury, Nassau, NY

Summary: On February 23, 2008, Leatrice Brewer, 27, drowned her
three children, Jewell Ward, Michael Demesyeux, and Innocent Desmesyeux Jr. one
by one and then laid them out on her bed in their pajamas. In the hours before
the incident, Brewer, 27, told her brother that she was “fine” when he asked
her how she was doing. Prior History: Relatives say that the death of Leatrice
Brewer’s mother four years opened the most difficult chapter of her life.
Interviews with family members and friends as well as court documents yield a
portrait of her last few years: an often confrontational woman leading a life
marked by substance abuse, arrests, an abusive relationship with the father of
two of her children, financial struggles and mental health issues. Although
raised by her maternal grandmother, Maebell Mickens, in a strict household, in
more recent years Leatrice Brewer had built a criminal record including
harassment and unlawful possession of marijuana, as she shuttled from one
social service office to another and struggled to raise three children. Her
parents had also struggled: Her father, Larry Brewer, who died in 2001, was in
and out of jail during her formative years, said relatives, and her mother,
Pearly Mae Mickens struggled with drug addiction and schizophrenia. As a junior
in high school, Brewer was charged with petty larceny and pleaded guilty to
disorderly conduct. She didn't graduate, but later earned her General
Educational Development certificate, a family member said. Around that time,
Brewer met Ricky Ward, who would father her first child, a daughter named
Jewell, who was born in June 2001. Almost two years later, Michael was born, in
February 2003. His father was Innocent Demesyeux, who for a time lived with
Brewer in New Cassel. In April 2003, Demesyeux took out a restraining order on
Brewer after she attempted to slash him with a large kitchen knife, according
to court documents. That same month, Brewer was first accused of slapping
Jewell, then 1, and officials opened the first of 10 cases on her over the
ensuing four years, six of which were deemed unfounded. Complaints were made by
Brewer herself, Maebell Mickens, Innocent Desmesyeux and anonymous or
undisclosed callers. In August 2006, Innocent Desmesyeux Jr. was born. Last
fall, Brewer got a job at Kohl's in Westbury. But with the loss of that job
about a month ago, Maebell Mickens said she saw a dramatic change in Brewer.
She walked around in public in pajama pants, a T-shirt and a ragged hair scarf,
a relative said. In mid-February, Mickens asked one of Brewer's cousins to
check on Brewer. The cousin went to see her a few days later and Brewer
complained that people were watching her but that she was fine. On Friday,
February 22, two days before the killings, Maebell Mickens visited her
granddaughter and found her depressed and complaining that her life was in
disarray. Brewer again talked of people watching her and voices talking to her
from the television. Mickens offered to take care of the children for a while,
but Brewer said no. That same day, Nassau child protection officials sent
caseworkers twice to visit Brewer, but got no answer at the door. Over the next
day, Maebell Mickens couldn't get through to her granddaughter, so she sent
Robert McCord, Brewer's brother, to go check on her. They talked for a while
and the children seemed OK. Source: Newsday, 3/1/08

Date: 2/2008

Location: Westbury, Nassau, NY

Summary: On February 23, 2008, Leatrice Brewer, 27, drowned her
three children, Jewell Ward, Michael Demesyeux, and Innocent Desmesyeux Jr. one
by one and then laid them out on her bed in their pajamas. In the hours before
the incident, Brewer, 27, told her brother that she was “fine” when he asked
her how she was doing. Prior History: Relatives say that the death of Leatrice
Brewer’s mother four years opened the most difficult chapter of her life.
Interviews with family members and friends as well as court documents yield a
portrait of her last few years: an often confrontational woman leading a life
marked by substance abuse, arrests, an abusive relationship with the father of
two of her children, financial struggles and mental health issues. Although
raised by her maternal grandmother, Maebell Mickens, in a strict household, in
more recent years Leatrice Brewer had built a criminal record including
harassment and unlawful possession of marijuana, as she shuttled from one
social service office to another and struggled to raise three children. Her
parents had also struggled: Her father, Larry Brewer, who died in 2001, was in
and out of jail during her formative years, said relatives, and her mother,
Pearly Mae Mickens struggled with drug addiction and schizophrenia. As a junior
in high school, Brewer was charged with petty larceny and pleaded guilty to
disorderly conduct. She didn't graduate, but later earned her General
Educational Development certificate, a family member said. Around that time,
Brewer met Ricky Ward, who would father her first child, a daughter named
Jewell, who was born in June 2001. Almost two years later, Michael was born, in
February 2003. His father was Innocent Demesyeux, who for a time lived with Brewer
in New Cassel. In April 2003, Demesyeux took out a restraining order on Brewer
after she attempted to slash him with a large kitchen knife, according to court
documents. That same month, Brewer was first accused of slapping Jewell, then
1, and officials opened the first of 10 cases on her over the ensuing four
years, six of which were deemed unfounded. Complaints were made by Brewer
herself, Maebell Mickens, Innocent Desmesyeux and anonymous or undisclosed
callers. In August 2006, Innocent Desmesyeux Jr. was born. Last fall, Brewer
got a job at Kohl's in Westbury. But with the loss of that job about a month
ago, Maebell Mickens said she saw a dramatic change in Brewer. She walked
around in public in pajama pants, a T-shirt and a ragged hair scarf, a relative
said. In mid-February, Mickens asked one of Brewer's cousins to check on
Brewer. The cousin went to see her a few days later and Brewer complained that
people were watching her but that she was fine. On Friday, February 22, two
days before the killings, Maebell Mickens visited her granddaughter and found
her depressed and complaining that her life was in disarray. Brewer again
talked of people watching her and voices talking to her from the television.
Mickens offered to take care of the children for a while, but Brewer said no.
That same day, Nassau child protection officials sent caseworkers twice to
visit Brewer, but got no answer at the door. Over the next day, Maebell Mickens
couldn't get through to her granddaughter, so she sent Robert McCord, Brewer's
brother, to go check on her. They talked for a while and the children seemed
OK. Source: Newsday, 3/1/08

Date: 3/2008

Location: Queensbury, Warren, NY

Summary: On March 2, 2008, Michael J. Butler, 62, repeatedly
rammed a police car with his truck. Butler is a Vietnam War veteran with an
extensive history of mental illness who told investigators he was upset about
his arrest by police days earlier. He told Warren County sheriff's officers he
was angry with police about his arrest on February 24 after an alleged attack
on members of VFW Post 3754 in Warrensburg, during which he broke the post
commander's nose and threatened patrons with a knife. He was charged in that
case with the misdemeanors of third-degree assault, second-degree menacing and
resisting arrest and was jailed overnight before being released on $1,500 cash
bail. Butler’s anger resulted in a wild scene on Gurney Lane, when he allegedly
rammed a Warren County sheriff's patrol car with his pickup at least three
times, sending it into a snowbank before the officers shot at least twice
through their car's windshield into the truck. Neither Butler nor the deputies
were seriously injured. The deputies who fired the shots are patrol officers
Scott Rawson and William St. John. Rawson was driving the patrol car at the
time of the altercation. Prior History: Michael J. Butler has had a number of
run-ins with police over the years, including a May 1995 arrest for using a
chain saw to vandalize the lobby of the Veterans Administration Hospital in Albany.
The former U.S. Marine was found not guilty of the criminal charges in that
case by reason of insanity, and he was treated for several years in a military
mental hospital in North Carolina. Source: Post Star, 3/4/08

Date: 3/2008

Location: Queensbury, Warren, NY

Summary: On March 2, 2008, Michael J. Butler, 62, repeatedly
rammed a police car with his truck. Butler is a Vietnam War veteran with an
extensive history of mental illness who told investigators he was upset about
his arrest by police days earlier. He told Warren County sheriff's officers he
was angry with police about his arrest on February 24 after an alleged attack
on members of VFW Post 3754 in Warrensburg, during which he broke the post
commander's nose and threatened patrons with a knife. He was charged in that
case with the misdemeanors of third-degree assault, second-degree menacing and
resisting arrest and was jailed overnight before being released on $1,500 cash
bail. Butler’s anger resulted in a wild scene on Gurney Lane, when he allegedly
rammed a Warren County sheriff's patrol car with his pickup at least three
times, sending it into a snowbank before the officers shot at least twice
through their car's windshield into the truck. Neither Butler nor the deputies
were seriously injured. The deputies who fired the shots are patrol officers
Scott Rawson and William St. John. Rawson was driving the patrol car at the
time of the altercation. Prior History: Michael J. Butler has had a number of
run-ins with police over the years, including a May 1995 arrest for using a
chain saw to vandalize the lobby of the Veterans Administration Hospital in
Albany. The former U.S. Marine was found not guilty of the criminal charges in
that case by reason of insanity, and he was treated for several years in a
military mental hospital in North Carolina. Source: Post Star, 3/4/08

Date: 4/2008

Location: Queens, Queens, NY

Summary: On April 2, 2008, Felipe Velasquez wielded a machete
slashing a stranger and tossed Molotov cocktails at cops from his roof. According
to Velasquez’s family, he is a schizophrenic who was off his meds at the time
of the incident. During the rampage, Velasquez hit Bernard Hoffman, 45, in the
head with a machete in front of the Richmond Hill home Velasquez shares with
his uncle. Hoffman fended off his attacker with his umbrella, disarmed him,
grabbed the weapon and called cops. Velasquez then climbed onto his roof and
threw the handmade combustibles, hitting an unmarked police car that erupted in
flames. The 90-minute standoff ended when cops persuaded Velasquez to come
down. Hoffman was taken to New York Hospital Medical Center of Queens for a cut
on his head and was subsequently released. Prior History: Felipe Velasquez's
uncle said his nephew recently spent a month at Elmhurst Hospital Center and
was diagnosed with mental illness. Source: New York Daily News, 4/3/08

Date: 6/2008

Location: Manhattan, New York, NY

Summary: On June 9, 2008, Orangetown police used a Taser to subdue
the Rev. Patricia Ackerman, a peace activist suffering a mental crisis who had
barricaded herself and an employee inside her Broadway apartment, holding off
police for nearly two hours. The police were trying to take Ackerman for a
mental health examination based on a commitment letter. Her friends said Ackerman,
an Episcopal priest, is bipolar and had stopped taking her medication. Her
behavior had been erratic and she had been acting out, causing alarm among her
friends and associates. "Patty hasn't been acting like herself," said
Phyllis Frank, a top official with the Volunteer Counseling Service and a
social activist. "People knew she needed help." She and Frank
Mancione were called to the building by police, along with Mayor John Shields.
Ackerman specifically asked to speak with them and police thought they could
help end the standoff. Several other friends and supporters spoke from the
street to Ackerman, who leaned out a second-floor window. The woman was being
held against her will because Ackerman had barricaded herself inside the
apartment. Police Chief Kevin Nulty said criminal charges would be filed
against Ackerman. Source: Journal News, 6/10/08, 6/15/08

Date: 6/2008

Location: Manhattan, New York, NY

Summary: On June 9, 2008, Orangetown police used a Taser to subdue
the Rev. Patricia Ackerman, a peace activist suffering a mental crisis who had
barricaded herself and an employee inside her Broadway apartment, holding off
police for nearly two hours. The police were trying to take Ackerman for a
mental health examination based on a commitment letter. Her friends said
Ackerman, an Episcopal priest, is bipolar and had stopped taking her
medication. Her behavior had been erratic and she had been acting out, causing
alarm among her friends and associates. "Patty hasn't been acting like
herself," said Phyllis Frank, a top official with the Volunteer Counseling
Service and a social activist. "People knew she needed help." She and
Frank Mancione were called to the building by police, along with Mayor John
Shields. Ackerman specifically asked to speak with them and police thought they
could help end the standoff. Several other friends and supporters spoke from
the street to Ackerman, who leaned out a second-floor window. The woman was
being held against her will because Ackerman had barricaded herself inside the apartment.
Police Chief Kevin Nulty said criminal charges would be filed against Ackerman.
Source: Journal News, 6/10/08, 6/15/08

Date: 7/2008

Location: Queens, Queens, NY

Summary: On July 12, 2008, Donelle Dumunn was fatally shot by Eric
Hutchinson after Dumunn shot Hutchinson’s wife, Tawana Simmons. Dumunn, 28, had
burst in and shot Simmons in a fit of rage, police said. Hutchinson then
fatally shot Dumunn and fled - taking both his gun and the boarder's, according
to police. Hutchinson was in custody yesterday but had not been charged with a
crime. "It was a landlord-tenant dispute," said a police source of
the bizarre firefight. "They want this guy out, so he shoots her. And the
husband hears the shooting and gets his rifle." Simmons, 38, a mother of three,
was in critical but stable condition at Mary Immaculate Hospital. She and her
husband, Hutchinson, 41, had been trying to evict Dumunn, their boarder of
three months, for nonpayment of rent. "Donelle was bipolar and off his
medication," said his godsister Renee Spikes, 30, of Jamaica. "He was
usually a kind and generous person who was trying to get his life back on
track." Source: New York Daily News, 7/13/08

Date: 7/2008

Location: Queens, Queens, NY

Summary: On July 12, 2008, Donelle Dumunn was fatally shot by Eric
Hutchinson after Dumunn shot Hutchinson’s wife, Tawana Simmons. Dumunn, 28, had
burst in and shot Simmons in a fit of rage, police said. Hutchinson then
fatally shot Dumunn and fled - taking both his gun and the boarder's, according
to police. Hutchinson was in custody yesterday but had not been charged with a
crime. "It was a landlord-tenant dispute," said a police source of
the bizarre firefight. "They want this guy out, so he shoots her. And the
husband hears the shooting and gets his rifle." Simmons, 38, a mother of
three, was in critical but stable condition at Mary Immaculate Hospital. She
and her husband, Hutchinson, 41, had been trying to evict Dumunn, their boarder
of three months, for nonpayment of rent. "Donelle was bipolar and off his
medication," said his godsister Renee Spikes, 30, of Jamaica. "He was
usually a kind and generous person who was trying to get his life back on
track." Source: New York Daily News, 7/13/08

Date: 1/2008

Location: Peekskill, Westchester, NY

Summary: On January 3, 2008, LaTonya Fisher fatally stabbed
17-year-old Justin Woodward. Woodward had gone to Fisher's apartment that night
to break off their relationship. She stabbed him once in the back with a
10-inch kitchen knife. Peekskill police said Fisher left Woodward mortally
wounded for 90 minutes before calling for help. Officers arrived to find her
holding his body on her living-room floor. In June 2008, LaTonya Fisher, the
16-year-old Peekskill girl who killed Justin Woodward, her boyfriend, when he broke
up with, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and weapon charges in exchange for a
10-year prison sentence. State Supreme Court Justice Lester Adler said he chose
the prison term partly due to the girl's horrific upbringing, saying she was
abused by her stepfather and was a victim of gang assault. Adler said Fisher
suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and bipolar disorder, also known as
manic depression. But Deborah Alston, Woodward’s mother, Janet Fisher, said the
term was too lenient. "She took a treasure from me," cried Alston.
"He was my other half." Alston said her slain son helped care for his
brother, who suffers from multiple sclerosis. She sobbed after telling a
reporter that she would never have grandchildren. "God gave me an angel -
he did," she said. "Who knew the biggest threat to him was standing
in front of me?" Subsequent History: On August 28, 2008, Westchester
County Judge Lester Adler handed down a 10-year sentence that to Justin
Woodward's killer, 17-year-old LaTonya Fisher. Deborah Alston, Woodward’s
mother, was not happy with the sentence. Alder said he understood Alston's
frustration, but added that there were several factors behind the sentence,
including that Fisher was convicted of manslaughter, not murder, had no prior
record, suffers from mental illnesses and was sexually abused for years by a
stepfather. Prior History: Fisher, who suffers from bipolar and post-traumatic
stress disorders, stabbed Woodward, a 17-year-old Hendrick Hudson High School
student, on January 3 in her family's apartment in Peekskill. Woodward went to
Fisher's apartment that night to break up with her and tell her he was moving
out of state. She stabbed him in the back with a 12-inch knife, which
perforated his heart and a lung, then left him on the floor to die, authorities
said. She called 911 at 8:12 p.m. after stabbing him, but hung up. When a
police dispatcher called back, Fisher told them that she had misdialed while
trying to dial 914 so police did not respond. Fisher called 911 again at 9:47
p.m., and police arrived to see her holding Woodward on the floor, where he was
pronounced dead. Source: Journal News, 6/20/08; Hudson Valley Journal News,
8/29/08

Date: 7/2008

Location: New York, New York, NY

Summary: On July 17, 2008, police fatally shot Spencer Parris, 39,
in the chest. The officer, whom the Police Department would not identify, had
been on patrol with a partner when they were flagged down by a taxi driver
carrying a female passenger. The woman, 28, whom the police did not identify,
told them she had been assaulted by Parris and needed to return to their
apartment to retrieve belongings before going to stay with a friend. Police
Department’s chief spokesman, Paul J. Browne said police went with her, knocked
on the door to their apartment, and identified themselves. Parris said he was
not coming out, but suddenly flung open the door, with a knife in his hand.
Browne alleged that Parris told police several times that he was going to kill
them. The officer, who had backed down the hallway was backed against a
neighbor’s door when he shot Parris. Parris was pronounced dead at
NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell hospital. Allegedly, Parris had punched his
companion in the face and had pulled her hair after they argued over plans to
see a midnight movie. The woman had filed a report in February, soon after they
moved into the apartment, complaining that he had assaulted her. The police
have reports of two domestic incidents there in March. The woman told the
police that they met over the Internet, and that she later found out that he
had bipolar disorder and had once tried to commit suicide. Source: New York
Times, 7/19/08

Date: 7/2008

Location: New York, New York, NY

Summary: On July 17, 2008, police fatally shot Spencer Parris, 39,
in the chest. The officer, whom the Police Department would not identify, had
been on patrol with a partner when they were flagged down by a taxi driver
carrying a female passenger. The woman, 28, whom the police did not identify,
told them she had been assaulted by Parris and needed to return to their
apartment to retrieve belongings before going to stay with a friend. Police
Department’s chief spokesman, Paul J. Browne said police went with her, knocked
on the door to their apartment, and identified themselves. Parris said he was
not coming out, but suddenly flung open the door, with a knife in his hand.
Browne alleged that Parris told police several times that he was going to kill
them. The officer, who had backed down the hallway was backed against a
neighbor’s door when he shot Parris. Parris was pronounced dead at
NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell hospital. Allegedly, Parris had punched his
companion in the face and had pulled her hair after they argued over plans to
see a midnight movie. The woman had filed a report in February, soon after they
moved into the apartment, complaining that he had assaulted her. The police
have reports of two domestic incidents there in March. The woman told the
police that they met over the Internet, and that she later found out that he had
bipolar disorder and had once tried to commit suicide. Source: New York Times,
7/19/08

Date: 6/2010

Location: Elmont, Nassau, NY

Summary: On June 23, 2010, 24-year-old Dario Ormejuste fatally
shot his brother, Guerby Ormejuste, a Rikers Island correction officer, with
his automatic service weapon. He used the same gun to kill their father, Bob,
police said. 30-year old Guerby Ormejuste and his 65-year-old father Bob
Ormejuste were found dead inside a home on Long Island, according to Nassau
County police. The gruesome discovery was made by police who responded to the
home to check on the status of Guerby Ormejuste when he didn't show up for
work. When police arrived they found two bodies inside the home. One victim was
found in the kitchen, while the other was found in the basement of the home.
Law enforcement officials said Dario Ormejuste has emotional problems that may
include schizophrenia. In addition, police were looking for his mother, Rose
"Maryse" Ormejuste, who is in her 60's. She, along with a gray 1998
Lexus, had been missing since June 19. Dario Ormejuste was arrested outside his
his home, puffing on a cigarette as his brother and father lay dead inside.
Source: WPIX.com, 6/23/10; NYDailyNews.com, 6/24/10; LongIslandPress.com,
6/24/10

Date: 6/2010

Location: Elmont, Nassau, NY

Summary: On June 23, 2010, 24-year-old Dario Ormejuste fatally
shot his brother, Guerby Ormejuste, a Rikers Island correction officer, with
his automatic service weapon. He used the same gun to kill their father, Bob, police
said. 30-year old Guerby Ormejuste and his 65-year-old father Bob Ormejuste
were found dead inside a home on Long Island, according to Nassau County
police. The gruesome discovery was made by police who responded to the home to
check on the status of Guerby Ormejuste when he didn't show up for work. When
police arrived they found two bodies inside the home. One victim was found in
the kitchen, while the other was found in the basement of the home. Law
enforcement officials said Dario Ormejuste has emotional problems that may
include schizophrenia. In addition, police were looking for his mother, Rose
"Maryse" Ormejuste, who is in her 60's. She, along with a gray 1998
Lexus, had been missing since June 19. Dario Ormejuste was arrested outside his
his home, puffing on a cigarette as his brother and father lay dead inside.
Source: WPIX.com, 6/23/10; NYDailyNews.com, 6/24/10; LongIslandPress.com,
6/24/10

Date: 7/2010

Location: Poestenkill, Rensselaer, NY

Summary: On July 13, 2010, 70-year-old Robert Pryor Sr. called his
daughter, 49-year-old Laurie Fisher, and his granddaughter’s boyfriend,
24-year-old Anthony Delgado, home from a trip to a local grocery store and then
shot them both in the chest as they came through the front door. Pryor then
turned the revolver on himself, and inflicted a fatal gunshot wound to the
head, police said. Authorities had no motive other than that they believe Pryor
may have battled mental illness. Following the shootings, Delgado was in
critical condition and Fisher was in serious condition at Albany Medical Center
Hospital. Police were called to the house by Fisher, who was able to call 911
after being shot. Delgado had been living with Pryor to help him with his
medical condition. Source: TimesUnion.Com, 7/14/10; cbs6albany.com, 7/14/10

Date: 7/2010

Location: Poestenkill, Rensselaer, NY

Summary: On July 13, 2010, 70-year-old Robert Pryor Sr. called his
daughter, 49-year-old Laurie Fisher, and his granddaughter’s boyfriend,
24-year-old Anthony Delgado, home from a trip to a local grocery store and then
shot them both in the chest as they came through the front door. Pryor then
turned the revolver on himself, and inflicted a fatal gunshot wound to the
head, police said. Authorities had no motive other than that they believe Pryor
may have battled mental illness. Following the shootings, Delgado was in
critical condition and Fisher was in serious condition at Albany Medical Center
Hospital. Police were called to the house by Fisher, who was able to call 911
after being shot. Delgado had been living with Pryor to help him with his
medical condition. Source: TimesUnion.Com, 7/14/10; cbs6albany.com, 7/14/10

Date: 7/2010

Location: Manhattan, New York C, NY

Summary: On July 19, 2010, 33-year-old Julian Kurita fatally
stabbed his father, 70-year-old Fumitaka “Frank” Kurita in the neck in the
family's apartment and then slashed his own wrist, police said. Julian was
taken to Bellevue Hospital for a psychiatric evaluation, police said. Police
did not release any details about the events that lead to Frank Kurita's death,
other than to say his son appeared to be mentally disturbed, and neighbors were
at a loss to describe what could have sparked a confrontation between father
and son. Joan Morrow, a retired preschool teacher who lived one floor below the
Kurita family, said Julian Kurita left college after a bout with mental
illness. She said she believed he had struggled with schizophrenia since his
early 20s. He faced murder and weapons charges. Subsequent History: On May 21,
2012, the 30-year-old Kurita was convicted of murder. Source: DNAinfo.com,
7/19/10; NYDailyNews.com, 7/20/10, 5/2/12, 5/21/12

Date: 4/2009

Location: West Seneca, Erie, NY

Summary: On April 19, 2009, 31-year-old Corey P. Cochran stabbed
his 6- year-old son Dalton in the chest. The incident ended when Cohran’s wife,
Rebecca, managed to get the knife from him, stab him several times, and flee
the house with their four children to a neighbor’s home. Corey pursued his wife
and children but was apprehended without further incident. Dalton was taken to
Women and Children's Hospital where he was listed in stable condition. Corey
was admitted to Erie County Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.
Rebecca was treated at ECMC and released after sustaining defensive wounds on
her hands while wresting two knives away from her husband. Subsequent History:
On March 7, 2011, Corey P. Cochran, diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia,
pleaded not guilty to because of mental disease or defect to attempted murder
charges. A judge ordered him to undergo further mental examination. Both
defense and prosecution mental health experts found that Cochran was suffering
from auditory hallucinations and ideas about gaining immortality by cutting out
his son's heart when he attacked his son. Subsequent History: On July 7, 2011,
33-year-old Corey Cochran was sentenced to a secure facility after a judge
ruled he had a dangerous mental disorder. Two doctors issued reports saying
their psychiatric examinations of Cochran revealed signs of paranoid
schizophrenia. As a result of the ruling, Cochran was to be taken to a secure
facility as a danger to himself and others, rather than to a regular
psychiatric hospital ward. Cochran’s attorney said Cochran attacked his son
when he was off medication. The boy was hospitalized with a stab wound to the
chest but recovered. Source: Buffalo News, 4/21/09, 3/7/11, 7/8/11

Date: 4/2009

Location: West Seneca, Erie, NY

Summary: On April 19, 2009, 31-year-old Corey P. Cochran stabbed
his 6- year-old son Dalton in the chest. The incident ended when Cohran’s wife,
Rebecca, managed to get the knife from him, stab him several times, and flee
the house with their four children to a neighbor’s home. Corey pursued his wife
and children but was apprehended without further incident. Dalton was taken to
Women and Children's Hospital where he was listed in stable condition. Corey
was admitted to Erie County Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.
Rebecca was treated at ECMC and released after sustaining defensive wounds on
her hands while wresting two knives away from her husband. Subsequent History:
On March 7, 2011, Corey P. Cochran, diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia,
pleaded not guilty to because of mental disease or defect to attempted murder
charges. A judge ordered him to undergo further mental examination. Both
defense and prosecution mental health experts found that Cochran was suffering
from auditory hallucinations and ideas about gaining immortality by cutting out
his son's heart when he attacked his son. Subsequent History: On July 7, 2011,
33-year-old Corey Cochran was sentenced to a secure facility after a judge
ruled he had a dangerous mental disorder. Two doctors issued reports saying
their psychiatric examinations of Cochran revealed signs of paranoid
schizophrenia. As a result of the ruling, Cochran was to be taken to a secure
facility as a danger to himself and others, rather than to a regular
psychiatric hospital ward. Cochran’s attorney said Cochran attacked his son
when he was off medication. The boy was hospitalized with a stab wound to the
chest but recovered. Source: Buffalo News, 4/21/09, 3/7/11, 7/8/11

Date: 7/2010

Location: Katonah, Westchester, NY

Summary: On July 31, 2010, 39-year-old Lisa Turkki stabbed her two
nieces several times while babysitting them in their parents' home. Turkki
called police and told authorities what he had done. When police arrived at the
home, Turkki was outside while the the 7- and 9-year-old girls were sprawled on
the kitchen floor, bleeding but conscious and responsive. They survived the
attack and and were in stable condition and improving following surgery.
Turkki, the girls' aunt and their mother's sister, sustained a minor injury to
her leg that was possibly self-inflicted. Subsequent History: On April 18,
2011, 40-year-old Lisa Turkki was found not responsible because of mental
illness. Turkki was to be committed to a psychiatric institution. Her case will
be reviewed every two years and if she is ever found to have recovered, she
could be released, the district attorney's office said. Turkki said she was
diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and may have missed some medications.
Subsequent History: On June 2, 2011, Turkki was committed to a secure facility.
Turkki had no history of violent behavior, even though she had battled mental
illness since she was 15. Psychologists determined Turkki suffered from
schizoaffective disorder of a bipolar type. Source: CBSNews.com, 8/2/10;
MSNBC.com, 8/2/10; Wall Street Journal, 4/18/11; lohud.com, 6/3/11

Date: 7/2010

Location: Katonah, Westchester, NY

Summary: On July 31, 2010, 39-year-old Lisa Turkki stabbed her two
nieces several times while babysitting them in their parents' home. Turkki
called police and told authorities what he had done. When police arrived at the
home, Turkki was outside while the the 7- and 9-year-old girls were sprawled on
the kitchen floor, bleeding but conscious and responsive. They survived the
attack and and were in stable condition and improving following surgery.
Turkki, the girls' aunt and their mother's sister, sustained a minor injury to
her leg that was possibly self-inflicted. Subsequent History: On April 18,
2011, 40-year-old Lisa Turkki was found not responsible because of mental
illness. Turkki was to be committed to a psychiatric institution. Her case will
be reviewed every two years and if she is ever found to have recovered, she
could be released, the district attorney's office said. Turkki said she was
diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and may have missed some medications.
Subsequent History: On June 2, 2011, Turkki was committed to a secure facility.
Turkki had no history of violent behavior, even though she had battled mental
illness since she was 15. Psychologists determined Turkki suffered from
schizoaffective disorder of a bipolar type. Source: CBSNews.com, 8/2/10;
MSNBC.com, 8/2/10; Wall Street Journal, 4/18/11; lohud.com, 6/3/11

Date: 5/2011

Location: Syracuse, Onondaga, NY

Summary: On May 5, 2011, 55-year-old Benjamin Campione was fatally
shot by police near the Regional Transportation Center. According to police,
when Campione was confronted by Officers, he pulled a pellet gun that looked
exactly like a Smith & Wesson revolver from his waistband and pointed it at
Officers prompting them to open fire. Campione’s two cousins said he suffered
from mental illness and was often homeless, wandering the streets of Syracuse.
The cousins confirmed that Campione would sometimes carry a pellet gun, which
would be used for show. They say he was "never violent." Prior History:
Campione’s brother said he’d been to police three times in the past year,
alerting them that his younger brother wasn’t taking his medication and was
slipping deeper into paranoid schizophrenia. According to the brother, Campione
was diagnosed while serving in the Army in the late 1970s. He said Campione had
a history of stopping his medication and acting bizarrely. Source:
CYNcentral.com, 5/5/11, 5/8/11; The Post-Standard, 5/7/11

Date: 7/2011

Location: New York, New York, NY

Summary: On July 3, 2011, 41-year-old Jonathan Schwartz fatally
stabbed his 67-year-old mother, Barbara Schwartz, in the neck and torso.
Jonathan Schwartz called 911 twice after killing his mother, first to admit the
crime, then to retract the confession. Jonathan Schwartz who suffers from
schizophrenia, may not have been on his meds. Source: CBSNewYork.com, 7/3/11;
New York Post, 7/4/11

Date: 2/2011

Location: Syracuse, Onondago, NY

Summary: On February 1, 2011, 19-year-old Ravaun Mitchell was shot
by Syracuse police after he refused to drop a knife. Mitchell walked into the
Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses on Fayette Street, pulled out a knife, and
when he refused to drop it, police shot him in the arm and shoulder. While in
the ambulance on his way to the hospital, Mitchell told police he had hoped
they would shoot him because he "wanted to die." Subsequent History:
On June 29, 2011, a judge ruled that Mitchell was still mentally ill and
dangerous. The judge ordered Mitchell held in the secure custody of state mental
health officials for the next six months until another evaluation can be
conducted. Mitchell’s defense attorney said the February 1 incident was the
onset of mental health problems for his client and that Mitchell had responded
well while on anti-psychotic medication following the incident. Source:
9WSYR.com, 2/24/11; The Post-Standard, 6/29/11

Date: 11/2009

Location: Valley Cottage, Rockland, NY

Summary: On November 29, 2009, 32-year-old Jami Erlich was was
beaten and stabbed to death inside her condo. Two days later, 32-year-old Eric
Lau was arrested and charged with her death. Police had been searching for Lau,
who lived in the same condo and disappeared after Erlich’s death. Several of
Erlich's friends said she told them that Lau constantly called her and asked her
out on dates. The friends said Erlich referred to Lau as her "creepy
neighbor." Subsequent History: In July 2011, psychologists reported that
Lau was mentally fit to stand trial on charges of murdering Erlich. In March, a
judge had ordered Lau to be evaluated for at least 90 days after hearing
testimony on Lau's mental health. He had a long history of mental illness and
violence beginning in childhood. Lau had attended schools for children with
mental issues. On September 26, 2011, Lau’s murder trial was tentatively
scheduled for November. Subsequent History: On January 24, 2012, a state
Supreme Court justice authorized Lau to undergo another round of psychiatric
exams to determine if he was mentally fit to stand trial in the killing of
Erlich. Those exams could lead to a second competency hearing. The decision
came with a new indictment charging Lau for the second time with a felony count
of second-degree assault on a Rockland correction officer at the county jail.
Lau was accused of slamming a jail seargeant’s hand into a cell door opening in
September, leading to the officer needing several stitches. In March 2010, Lau
attacked an officer from behind at the jail, leading to his first indictment on
an assault count. Subsequent History: On April 23, 2012, Lau pleaded guilty to
murdering Erlich. Lau’s guilty plea came after a judge ruled on April 19 that
he was fit to stand trial and assist in his own defense. The disposition
included his guilty plea to two counts of third-degree assault, a misdemeanor,
for attacking two correction officers inside the Rockland County jail. The
attacks came December 24, 2009, and September 26, 2010. Lau originally was
indicted on a charge of second-degree assault, a felony, in each case. Source:
Zimbio.com, 11/30/09; NYDailyNews.com, 12/2/09; LoHud News, 7/7/11, 11/11/11,
1/25/12, 4/20/12, 4/24/12; The Journal News, 9/26/11

Date: 8/2009

Location: Schenectady, Schenectady, NY

Summary: On August 1, 2009, 25-year-old James Tomlin, diagnosed
with schizophrenia, was fatally shot by a Schenectady police officer. Police
said the incident occurred when Tomlin first approached a woman on her porch
and demanded a cigarette at knifepoint. He also attempted several carjackings,
threatening people with a large butcher knife. When officers caught up with
him, they tried to get him to drop the knife. When Tomlin lunged at Officer Ed
Ritz, Ritz shot him. Subsequent History: On July 1, 2011, Ritz was cleared of
any wrongdoing in the fatal shooting of Tomlin by the Schenectady County
District Attorney. In the aftermath of the shooting, the DA had raised the
possibility of presenting the case to a grand jury. Tomlin's mother told the DA
that her son, diagnosed with schizophrenia, was not on his medication at the
time of the incident, according to the report. Source: CapitalRegion.ynn.com,
8/4/09; Times Union, 7/7/11

Date: 7/2011

Location: White Creek, Washington, NY

Summary: On July 13, 2011, 23-year-old Matthew Slocum, a parolee
with a history of mental illness, fatally shot his mother, Lisa Harrington, her
husband, Dan Harrington, and Harrington’s son, Josh O’Brien in their home, then
ignited the house to cover it up. Officials said all involved, the Harringtons,
Slocum, Colegrove and their son, lived at the home. Slocum then took his
four-month-old Raymond Slocum, and the boy’s mother, Loretta Colegrove,
Slocum’s girlfriend, and held them against their will initiating an Amber
Alert. Slocum turned himself in to authorities that evening in Gilsum, N.H.,
after a four-hour standoff. The infant and mother were safe. Prior History:
Slocum's criminal history includes a sexual misconduct arrest for allegedly
having sex with an underage girl in 2005,as well as involvement a 2005-2006
burglary and larceny cases for which he was sentenced to state prison. Slocum
was paroled in 2009 but violated parole twice and was returned to state prison
both times. At the time of the killings, there was a pending harassment charge
in Greenwich Town Court against him for allegedly making a threat toward
another person. Cambridge-Greenwich Police Chief George Bell said it was common
for Slocum's mother to intervene on her son's behalf during his run-ins with
the law - beyond what police typically see with parents whose children
repeatedly get arrested. Source: North County Gazette, 7/13/11; CBSBoston.com,
7/13/11; timesunion.com, 7/15/11; PostStar.com, 7/15/11, 7/19/11

Date: 7/2011

Location: White Creek, Washington, NY

Summary: On July 13, 2011, 23-year-old Matthew Slocum, a parolee
with a history of mental illness, fatally shot his mother, Lisa Harrington, her
husband, Dan Harrington, and Harrington’s son, Josh O’Brien in their home, then
ignited the house to cover it up. Officials said all involved, the Harringtons,
Slocum, Colegrove and their son, lived at the home. Slocum then took his
four-month-old Raymond Slocum, and the boy’s mother, Loretta Colegrove,
Slocum’s girlfriend, and held them against their will initiating an Amber
Alert. Slocum turned himself in to authorities that evening in Gilsum, N.H.,
after a four-hour standoff. The infant and mother were safe. Prior History:
Slocum's criminal history includes a sexual misconduct arrest for allegedly
having sex with an underage girl in 2005,as well as involvement a 2005-2006
burglary and larceny cases for which he was sentenced to state prison. Slocum
was paroled in 2009 but violated parole twice and was returned to state prison
both times. At the time of the killings, there was a pending harassment charge
in Greenwich Town Court against him for allegedly making a threat toward
another person. Cambridge-Greenwich Police Chief George Bell said it was common
for Slocum's mother to intervene on her son's behalf during his run-ins with
the law - beyond what police typically see with parents whose children
repeatedly get arrested. Source: North County Gazette, 7/13/11; CBSBoston.com,
7/13/11; timesunion.com, 7/15/11; PostStar.com, 7/15/11, 7/19/11

Date: 7/2011

Location: White Creek, Washington, NY

Summary: On July 13, 2011, 23-year-old Matthew Slocum, a parolee
with a history of mental illness, fatally shot his mother, Lisa Harrington, her
husband, Dan Harrington, and Harrington’s son, Josh O’Brien in their home, then
ignited the house to cover it up. Officials said all involved, the Harringtons,
Slocum, Colegrove and their son, lived at the home. Slocum then took his
four-month-old Raymond Slocum, and the boy’s mother, Loretta Colegrove,
Slocum’s girlfriend, and held them against their will initiating an Amber
Alert. Slocum turned himself in to authorities that evening in Gilsum, N.H.,
after a four-hour standoff. The infant and mother were safe. Prior History:
Slocum's criminal history includes a sexual misconduct arrest for allegedly
having sex with an underage girl in 2005,as well as involvement a 2005-2006
burglary and larceny cases for which he was sentenced to state prison. Slocum
was paroled in 2009 but violated parole twice and was returned to state prison
both times. At the time of the killings, there was a pending harassment charge
in Greenwich Town Court against him for allegedly making a threat toward
another person. Cambridge-Greenwich Police Chief George Bell said it was common
for Slocum's mother to intervene on her son's behalf during his run-ins with
the law - beyond what police typically see with parents whose children
repeatedly get arrested. Source: North County Gazette, 7/13/11; CBSBoston.com,
7/13/11; timesunion.com, 7/15/11; PostStar.com, 7/15/11, 7/19/11

Date: 7/2011

Location: White Creek, Washington, NY

Summary: On July 13, 2011, 23-year-old Matthew Slocum, a parolee
with a history of mental illness, fatally shot his mother, Lisa Harrington, her
husband, Dan Harrington, and Harrington’s son, Josh O’Brien in their home, then
ignited the house to cover it up. Officials said all involved, the Harringtons,
Slocum, Colegrove and their son, lived at the home. Slocum then took his
four-month-old Raymond Slocum, and the boy’s mother, Loretta Colegrove,
Slocum’s girlfriend, and held them against their will initiating an Amber
Alert. Slocum turned himself in to authorities that evening in Gilsum, N.H.,
after a four-hour standoff. The infant and mother were safe. Prior History:
Slocum's criminal history includes a sexual misconduct arrest for allegedly
having sex with an underage girl in 2005,as well as involvement a 2005-2006
burglary and larceny cases for which he was sentenced to state prison. Slocum
was paroled in 2009 but violated parole twice and was returned to state prison
both times. At the time of the killings, there was a pending harassment charge
in Greenwich Town Court against him for allegedly making a threat toward
another person. Cambridge-Greenwich Police Chief George Bell said it was common
for Slocum's mother to intervene on her son's behalf during his run-ins with
the law - beyond what police typically see with parents whose children
repeatedly get arrested. Source: North County Gazette, 7/13/11; CBSBoston.com,
7/13/11; timesunion.com, 7/15/11; PostStar.com, 7/15/11, 7/19/11

Date: 7/2011

Location: White Creek, Washington, NY

Summary: On July 13, 2011, 23-year-old Matthew Slocum, a parolee
with a history of mental illness, fatally shot his mother, Lisa Harrington, her
husband, Dan Harrington, and Harrington’s son, Josh O’Brien in their home, then
ignited the house to cover it up. Officials said all involved, the Harringtons,
Slocum, Colegrove and their son, lived at the home. Slocum then took his
four-month-old Raymond Slocum, and the boy’s mother, Loretta Colegrove,
Slocum’s girlfriend, and held them against their will initiating an Amber
Alert. Slocum turned himself in to authorities that evening in Gilsum, N.H.,
after a four-hour standoff. The infant and mother were safe. Prior History:
Slocum's criminal history includes a sexual misconduct arrest for allegedly
having sex with an underage girl in 2005,as well as involvement a 2005-2006
burglary and larceny cases for which he was sentenced to state prison. Slocum
was paroled in 2009 but violated parole twice and was returned to state prison
both times. At the time of the killings, there was a pending harassment charge
in Greenwich Town Court against him for allegedly making a threat toward
another person. Cambridge-Greenwich Police Chief George Bell said it was common
for Slocum's mother to intervene on her son's behalf during his run-ins with
the law - beyond what police typically see with parents whose children
repeatedly get arrested. Source: North County Gazette, 7/13/11; CBSBoston.com,
7/13/11; timesunion.com, 7/15/11; PostStar.com, 7/15/11, 7/19/11

Date: 9/2011

Location: Homer, Cortland, NY

Summary: On September 21, 2011, 30-year-old Geoffrey J. Thompson
attacked 36-year-old Abdul M. Mumin, a cab driver, as Mumin was driving him
from New York City to Buffalo. Thompson choked Mumin so hard his eyes began to
bleed. Before the incident, Thompson’s mother had reported him missing to
Amherst police. She told police that Thompson is bipolar and might be headed to
New York City. That night, Thompson called a relative to say that he was in New
York and staying at the Grand Hyatt in Manhattan. That same night, Thompson
approached Mumin and asked Mumin to drive him to John F. Kennedy International
Airport. After Thompson found that all flights to Buffalo that night were
already booked, he asked Mumin to drive him all the way to Buffalo. Thompson
said he was willing to pay the $800 cab fare. Thompson attacked Mumin after
they stopped for gas. Thompson, who had gone to an ATM machine, told Mumin he
could only pay $300. After discussion, Thompson told Mumin he would pay the
full amount. A few minutes later, Thompson suddenly pounced on Mumin and began
screaming: “You’re not going to get your money. You have to be dead.” A
struggle ensued which ended when the car crashed into a traffic sign. Thompson
ran into a nearby cemetery, where a Homer police officer chased him down. Both
men were taken to an area hospital and treated. Neither had to be admitted.
Source: Buffalo News, 9/24/11

Date: 3/2011

Location: Buffalo, Erie, NY

Summary: During the period between March 28 and 29, 2011,
50-year-old Brian Rossel fatally beat and strangled his 84-year-old father,
Donald Rossel. The elder Rossel’s body was found by police. In July 2011, Brian
Rossel was arrested and charged after a police investigation. Subsequent
History: On October 18, 2011, a judge ruled that Brian Rossel was mentally
incapacitated and should be committed for up to a year based upon two mental
health evaluations. Rossel was diagnosed with Schizophrenia. Source: WIVB.com,
7/8/11; Buffalo News, 10/19/11

Date: 5/2010

Location: Manhattan, New York, NY

Summary: On May 11, 2010, 33-year-old Devi Silvia threw her
19-month-old child into the Hudson River before jumping in herself. The pair
were spotted bobbing in the water by passers-by who came across an empty
stroller on a pier. Rescuers were called to an area of the river near 82nd
Street. The pair were pulled out of the river about 10 blocks south of there.
The fire department rescued the woman, who was face-down in the water, and
police rescued the child, who was face-up. Both were resuscitated. The girl was
hospitalized in critical but stable condition. Silvia was charged with
attempted murder, assault, reckless endangerment and endangering the welfare of
a child. Her arraignment was conducted via video link from a hospital where was
held for a psychological evaluation. Subsequent History: On February 10, 2012,
a judge ruled that the 34-year-old Silvia could go back to her native India and
be reunited with her children. Silvia had been undergoing treatment and entered
into an insanity plea deal in December with prosecutors. The judge told Silvia
she must continue treatment, stay on her medication and provide status reports
to the court. Silvia's baby, Jessica, who was 19 months old when she was thrown
into the frigid river off a West 70th Street pier, was rescued by authorities,
who quickly responded and saved both Silvia and the child after the mother
jumped in too. She has not been allowed to see her two children, including the
daughter she nearly drowned, since her arrest after the May 11, 2010, incident.
The children have been staying with family in India after Silvia was ordered by
the court to stay away from them. The family had been living on the Upper West
Side after Silvia's husband took a job in New York. Source: Associated Press,
5/12/10; WABC-TV NY, 6/21/10; New York Post, 6/22/10; DNA Info, 11/21/11,
2/10/12

Date: 11/2011

Location: Brooklyn, Kings, NY

Summary: On November 27, 2011, 20-year-old Renado Ward fatally
stabbed his mother, 47-year-old Chruminline Ward, in front of her
grandchildren. The children were not hurt in the incident. Renado Ward, who had
a history of mental illness, had been released from a psych ward of Kings
County Hospital six days before the incident. Following the incident, he was
returned back to the hospital. Source: New York Post, 11/28/11

ABOUT THE DATABASE: This database includes summaries
of news articles in which an individual with a neurobiological brain disorder
(usually untreated) is involved ina violent episode, either as a victim or
perpetrator. The stories come from published reports in the newspapers; the
database can therefore never cover all the countless unreported tragedies that
occur every day. And sadly, most of the stories in which the ill individual is
a victim rarely make it into the newspaper. One notable exception these days is
incidents in which a person with a serious brain disorder is shot by police.

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